


Heart & Soul

by BreeEasterling



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Ares is a good dad, Artemis Is Trying, Dirty Talk, Emotional Hurt, Eros Gets Laid, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Healing, Heartbreak, If I cry then so do you, Isolation, Non-Sexual Intimacy, POV Multiple, Parental Abuse, Physical Abuse, Slice of Life, Slight Canon Divergence, Slut Shaming, Soulmates, Starvation, Verbal Abuse, give side ships a chance, virginity checks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:21:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27770659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreeEasterling/pseuds/BreeEasterling
Summary: She didn’t realize I was there.Mustering all the nerve I could, I took a deep breath and said the only thing that felt right.“Hey, Psyche?”“Yes?” She answered automatically, looking up from her sketch pad.
Relationships: Eros/Psyche (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 111
Kudos: 100





	1. Longing

**Author's Note:**

> Tags and rating will change as the story progresses. I'll do my best to warn at the beginning of each chapter if there is smut, so if that isn't your thing you're able to skip/skim over it.
> 
> HUGE shout out and many thanks to my Discord friends for helping me with this brain baby, I've been sitting on this idea for a while and am excited to finally share it!
> 
> Endless thanks to my Betas, PantomDingo and wmnrulz, y'all keep me going (and make sure my words make sense).
> 
> Song Inspiration: "Heart and Soul" by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser (Katie Morrison Cover) found on YouTube.

~Agora = City square in ancient Greek cities; literal meaning is "gathering place"~

____________________________________

*Begins at the end of chapter 66*

~Psyche POV~

I stood outside of his bedroom, listening to the whispers of their conversation.

It was almost too much to bear. 

As if living under the same roof as him and having him look straight through me was not hard enough, now he was spending time alone with a beautiful goddess.

_ She is a much better match for the God of Love. _

The thought broke my heart, but I could not deny the truth. I was a mere mortal, what could I offer a God?

Leaning against the wall I took a deep breath and shut my eyes—I focused on his voice, the way it wrapped around words like a caress, but ignoring the words themselves… Knowing he was alone with another woman was painful enough, I didn’t want to know more than I already did.

A shadow coming down the hall captured my attention; glancing up, I was just as caught off guard as I was every time I saw her. No matter how long I lived among the Gods, I would never grow used to their presence, their aura of power and strength, and certainly not their beauty—especially Aphrodite’s.

“Come.” She said calmly as she breezed past, ignoring the fact that I was loitering outside of her son’s bedroom. “We’re going to the mortal realm.”

With one last sidelong glance at the bedroom door, I resigned myself to the reality of my situation—Eros does not know who I am, and as a love god, he has certain urges and needs that cannot go ignored forever. He had mourned for me while living in the same house and now he had found someone new. I had to accept what was, be thankful that he had at least picked someone as compassionate and bright as the Goddess of Spring.

\---

Stepping onto the desolate battlefield, I clung to Aphrodite, startled by the number of dead bodies that lay before us. The battle that took place was over, but the stench of death hung heavy in the air, making sure no one forgot what had happened.

“Are you frightened?” She asked, glancing down at me.

“No ma’am, I just have this terrified look on my face because I’m having so much fun.” I grimaced at the sight of blood on the hem of my chiton, but Aphrodite chuckled.

“No need to be frightened, we’re perfectly safe. Now come along and don’t fall behind, I don’t want to lose a Nymph in the mortal realm.”

We searched all throughout the night and even once the sun rose again. Field after field, town after town, and even a good portion of Athens. It was while we wandered the empty streets of Athens in the early morning light that I cleared my throat and asked the question that had been on the tip of my tongue since we left home.

“Ma’am?”

Aphrodite sighed. “Yes?”

“What, or who, are we looking for exactly?”

We stopped in the Agora and settled on the stone platform there to give our feet a rest. Aphrodite rolled her shoulders and fluffed her hair having seemingly forgotten about my question.

“Someone dear to me was taken away, shoved into the mortal realm and forced to live and fight alongside his own worshipers.” The Goddess of Beauty massaged her forehead for a brief moment. “I want him back.” 

“A lover, madam?”

Aphrodite smirked, staring off into the distance. “Oh, he is so much more than a mere lover… He is the other half of me. Some forces in this world, well, they need balance. Day and night, life and death, love and war.” 

Balance. It was a forgiein concept to me. All my life had been about give; give my time to care for my family, give my freedom for the advancement of my father, give my life for the man I love. There was little take in my world and the very idea was inspiring. 

In the end, we never found who Aphrodite searched for. 

“Come, let’s go home… This is a waste of time.” Aphrodite sighed dejectedly, grasping my hand before we dissolved in a shower of purple shimmer. 

The sensation of transferring was not comfortable, but something I am slowly growing accustomed to. It was a heavy pressure on my chest, like when I had fallen ill as a child and coughed day and night. The air was pulled from my lungs and then the light turned so bright I feared I might go blind… but just as it all started, it stopped and we were someplace new. 

Returning home, I stepped into the house behind Aphrodite and followed her into the kitchen. The children were all awake while Eros prepared breakfast, Persephone seated at the kitchen table looking terrified. I did not blame her, Aphrodite had placed her in the back of the Unseen One’s car unconscious. That is enough to scare anyone.

Half-asleep on my feet, I failed to keep up with the conversation until Aphrodite took the cooking tongs from Eros.

“Let me help you.” I offered, stepping to her side, wanting to be useful.

Aphrodite patted my shoulder. “No need, go get some rest.”

Hearing that I was released from her service for the time being, I felt a light tug on my peplos, I glanced down to find Ludus. The little red God’s various costumes always made me smile, today he was keeping it simple with a black mask over his eyes and a coordinating cape. 

“Ampelus, can you draw for me?” He asked sweetly, taking my hand into his own; I couldn’t help but smile.

“Not now love, she has been following me around all night. She needs to rest.” Aphrodite argued lightly, but I shook my head and allowed Ludus to guide me to the table.

“It’s alright, I can do one.” As we settled down at the table, I reiterated that I would only draw him one picture before he began describing what he wanted—yesterday was a Pegasus, something Agape had told him about after she last visited her father. Today he wanted a Petasos, a symbol of his father.

“Just the outline.” Ludus explained as I began to sketch. “I want to color it in for him.” I smiled. He was such a kind child, a perfect mixture of Aphrodite and Hermes; mischievous and funny like his father, but big hearted and generous like his mother. I did as he requested and sketched, then darkened the outlines of the drawing before handing it over to be colored in.

Once I was done with the drawing, I took stock of the situation in the kitchen; Aphrodite was harassing Persephone about her crush on Hades, while Eros nervously stood to the side, looking both fearful of what his mother might do, but excited to see his friend encouraged to confess her love. Shaking my head at the drama, I excused myself silently.

On the other end of the table, Persephone was doing her best to downplay her love situation; she was in love with a king who was committed to a nymph. What a mess, indeed. I did my best to conceal the relief I felt; Persephone was not in love with Eros. Although I was unsure of what they did in private, I at least had confirmation that they were not in love and for now, that was enough to bring me peace.

I was bone tired after spending so many hours traipsing around the mortal realm in search of Aphrodite’s love. Although my body screamed for sleep, I knew I first needed to bathe. My room was small and sparsely decorated, but conveniently attached to an equally small private bathroom.

As I disrobed and stepped into the shower, I breathed a sigh of relief; Persephone’s heart did not belong to Eros. That alone made me feel both less guilty for eavesdropping the night before, and less fearful of losing Eros to another woman.

_ You don’t have to be in love to have sex with someone—look at four of Aphrodite’s children _ . 

I groaned at the intrusive thought, hating how true it was. Aphrodite was in love with Ares, but four of her children were fathered by other men, not to mention the countless affairs she had that were either with women or did not result in children… 

Tilting my head back under the stream of hot water I forced myself to take a few deep breaths—there was no reason to panic or worry. Sex without love was… 

I sighed.

_ Still hurtful _ . 

Stepping out of the shower, I dressed in the soft grey pajamas that Aphrodite had given me when she brought me here and climbed into bed, relaxing into the soft mattress. I had gotten myself into this situation by listening to my sisters and nearly stabbing the man I loved. If he was having sex with others, it was not malicious towards me;

My pain was my own fault and blaming Eros would not help, even with all the rational thoughts in the world. 


	2. Hints

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Psyche does her best to navigate life with Eros so close by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks to my Beta, PhantomDingo for her proof reading, brainstorming and cheerleading <3

I rolled my shoulders as I let out a yawn. Laying my pencil down on the table, I rubbed my tired eyes for some relief after focusing on the sheets of paper for so long. Weeks of trailing Aphrodite only to come home at night to see Eros and not be able to hold him was wearing me thin. 

I wasn’t just physically tired anymore. 

My soul was tired.

Life improved slightly when Ares returned home, my nights and evenings suddenly free since Aphrodite would rather spend them with the father of her children. With Aphrodite’s approval I took to doing things I enjoyed; painting, sketching, and once everyone else had gone to bed I would work on my writing. I had mastered the alphabet and had moved on to sentences. To help me, Aphrodite had bought me a book of Pangrams which I would copy down onto paper to practice spacing out the words and letters properly.

“Oh, hey there Ampelus.” I jumped at the sudden voice, whirling around in my chair as Eros walked into the kitchen. I had to stifle a gasp; why did he always look so effortlessly perfect? His pajama pants had flying pigs printed all over them, and they slung low on his chiseled hips, his bunny slippers peeking out at the bottom. As usual he was without a shirt but his hair was rumpled from sleep which was far from ordinary. I wanted to stand up and throw my arms around his broad shoulders, kiss his soft lips and confess not only who I was, but how much I missed him in all ways.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I smiled softly. “Hello Eros, you frightened me.” I admitted as he went to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of water. I discreetly collected my papers and stashed them inside my book. “I thought everyone had gone to sleep…”

Eros turned to lean against the counter, taking a sip of his drink. “I had, but a phone call woke me up.” He rolled his eyes. “Young love, it never rests.” He sighed theatrically; I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Love… is this your own?” I questioned, knowing I shouldn’t—I was treading in dangerous territory, but I desperately had to know, had he moved on?

Eros stared into his water glass with a far off look in his eyes. “No, not my own…” He set his water glass down on the counter and put on a brave face. “How about you, are you seeking a love connection these days?”

I wanted to die.

“Nope, just reading…” I mentally kicked myself for sounding so lame.

“Oh! What are you reading?” Eros stepped away from the counter to stand behind my chair. I turned back to face the table, acutely aware of our proximity. At least facing away from him I could pretend as if I didn’t notice his scent and the way warmth rolled off of his bare chest.

“A book of Pangrams that your mother bought me.” I held it up for his inspection and he happily accepted, flipping it open. 

It was that moment that I realized my mistake. My writings were in the book, if he saw them… I waited in silence, terrified. Would Aphrodite consider this cheating? Showing Eros my handwriting, something he knew so well, might be seen as a way to tell him who I was, even indirectly.

He cracked a small smile. “You made copies of some of them?” He asked, picking up a sheet of paper to read it over. His eyes were full of emotions I didn’t quite recognize. “Huh…”

My blood ran cold as my mouth went dry. “Is something wrong?” I asked, my voice hardly above a whisper. 

I had never _not_ wanted Eros to recognize me so much. After so long, I craved him to say my name, recognize me for who I am… but not like this, not in a way that might incite Aphrodite’s wrath.

“No… Your handwriting is just familiar.” Eros quickly closed the book and handed it back to me. “Reminded me of someone I miss.” As soon as I took the book back, Eros quickly left the room. 

As he climbed the stairs, I thought I heard him softly choke back tears before his bedroom door closed and the house dropped back into silence.

Once alone, I breathed a sigh of relief. Aphrodite had made it abundantly clear when she brought me into her home that I was not to give Eros any hints or help in figuring out who I was beneath my disguise. If I broke her rules, Gods knows what she might do. But if he figured things out for _himself_ , she would never stand in our way again.

_“But that doesn’t mean others won’t,” Aphrodite warned. “So don’t get too excited if Baby Bear puts the pieces together.”_

But tonight had given me fresh hope; he misses me. Enough to admit it to a practical stranger. That little seed of hope made me feel more secure, and allowed me to remain positive that someday, and hopefully soon, Eros would realize the truth and come back to me completely.

\---  
  


Pragma sat on the floor in front of me, humming happily to herself as I brushed through her freshly washed hair. The children were scattered about the living room, all focused on the movie playing on TV while I went through the nightly ritual of brushing hair, and making sure they had washed behind their ears while in the bath.

It was early evening, Ares and Aprodite had excused themselves for some “private time” upstairs and Eros had decided now was the right time to discuss subtlety with them. I rolled my eyes, his efforts were futile. 

It wasn’t terribly long after the adults had gone upstairs that there was a loud _thump_ followed by shouting. Within a few moments, Eros and Artemis came running down the stairs. 

Artemis bolted through the living room and out the front door before I even realized what was happening. It was Eros who paused for a moment.

“Persephone is missing!” He exclaimed, looking panicked. “We’re going to try and find her, she might be in the Underworld... but we, we don’t know.” His eyes were wide and full of uncertainty. 

Without a second thought I stood and went to Eros’s side. “I’ll come help you look.” Although I couldn’t be sure, I thought he looked relieved at my offer. 

As Eros threw on his coat and ran out the door, I turned back to the children and made eye contact with Agape. “Your mom is upstairs with Ares, keep an eye on the little ones.” I tried to keep my voice stern, but even. 

The green goddess nodded, having already looked back to her phone. “Yea, whatever.” She sighed in response. 

The drive to the Underworld was full of Artemis fretting over everything she had done to fail in her duty to look after Persephone. 

“You have to stop calling everyone else’s home a ‘house of debauchery’,” Eros lectured as he crossed the Olympus/Underworld border. “Just because men and non-virginal women live there does not mean there is debauchery!”

Artemis scoffed. “Then what do you call what your parents were doing?”

Eros’s jaw clenched. “We do not kink shame in this car, Artemis. I will leave you on the side of the road.” 

Artemis remained silent for the rest of the drive, but as soon as Eros put the car into park, she was out of the backseat and busting in the front door of the mansion. 

Eros and I took our time exiting the vehicle and by the time we reached Artemis’s side Hades had emerged from the back of the house. Hades looked enraged until the moment that Persephone was mentioned; his face softened at the mere sound of her name. But that softness dissipated almost immediately when Artemis explained she was missing. 

“If you are so convinced I am hiding her, go check for yourself!” Hades growled. Before he even finished his sentence Artemis had taken off down the halls, shouting for her friend. 

Letting out a deep sigh, Hades turned to Eros and I. “Can I offer you some hot tea?”

Sitting beside the God of the Dead came with a cold, unsettling feeling. I felt awful for being so uncomfortable in his presence, considering how kind he had been since we busted in his front door; but I couldn’t help it. 

Some Gods, depending on their domain, had different effects on me. Much like with Aphrodite and Eros, I would become accustomed to it with time, but the initial encounter was always difficult. 

When Artemis returned, she joined the three of us and the Gods began to hash out a plan to find Persephone. Once Eros and Artemis volunteered to search Olympus and the mortal realm, they went off to Hades’s office to use his collection of maps. It was clear that I was not needed for this activity, so I wandered back into the kitchen.

Hades stood at the kitchen sink, sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he washed the tea cups we had used. It wasn’t often that I came into contact with a king, but I doubted the other two did much dishwashing.

“Can I help?” I asked, walking up behind him.

The tall blue God glanced at me over his shoulder. “I certainly won’t tell you no…” Coming to his side I picked up a clean dish towel and began drying the clean cups and saucers. “We’ve met before… correct?”

I smiled. “As I recall, you chased Aphrodite and I through a parking lot…”

The King blushed. “Oh, yes… I apologize for that.”

“No need, I find Aphrodite tends to bring that sort of behavior out of people.” I placed a dry saucer onto the counter before accepting the cup Hades had just finished washing.

“Perceptive, aren’t you?” Hades teased lightly. “So… has he noticed?”

I sighed. “No… I’m beginning to think he never will.” 

“Don’t give up hope. Us Gods are… well, we’re not the best at seeing past our noses.” Hades admitted bashfully. “Love Gods especially, they are good at other people’s relationships, not so much their own.” Looking up at the King of the Dead, I smiled. He was more unlike his reputation than any other God I had met so far. 

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

He smiled in return and handed me another tea cup. “Please, call me Hades.” 


	3. Lover Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eros has a conversation with a King that leaves him with a lot more questions than answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so, so much for your comments and kudos! They truly do mean the world to me and I read every single one!

~Corresponds with Ep. 130~

~Eros’s POV~

Once I was content with Persephone’s state of cleanliness and dress, I excused myself. 

Walking back into Hades’s kitchen, I smiled at the love-sick fool as he finished making Persephone a cup of tea. “She’s awake now.” I announced with a flourish of my hand and a mocking bow. 

“No thanks to you, I’m sure.” He muttered.

“Look, you were too scared to wake her and we needed to know she was okay. I did what needed to be done and she can slip back into dreamland later.” I waved off the King of the Underworld’s dirty look. “Be thankful you have the woman you love within reach, not everyone is so lucky.” Shit, that sounded far more bitter than I had intended.

Hades arched an elegant brow at me. “Something you want to get off your chest, Eros?”

I chuckled. “Naw, just me being dramatic like I always am!” The following silence was deafening and Hades’ skepticism was clear on his face. 

I sighed. “Look, if I ask you a question, can you not make a big deal of it? Or ever mention it to my mother?”

Hades leaned against the countertop. “Depends on the question.”

“If I wanted to find out if a certain human was alive or not… would you be able to tell me?” Psyche being dead was the worst case scenario, but I couldn’t rule it out. Mother had killed mortals for far less. 

The king raised an eyebrow but showed no sign of finding amusement in my question. “I can certainly tell you if they have died and been processed,” he admitted. “But why would the fate of one mortal interest you?”

I pouted. “What happened to you not making a big deal of this?”

Now Hades found me humorous, he cracked a smile. “I’m not, I asked a question. A rather tame one in comparison to your question, I might add.” 

_ Shit, he was right _ . 

“Look, obviously this means a lot to you… but can I give you some advice?” Despite my skepticism, I nodded. “Make sure to take a good look around at those closest to you first. I have a feeling you are simply overlooking something. But if I am wrong, text me the mortals name and birth year, I’ll see what I can do.” 

With that, Hades picked up the cup of fresh tea and left me alone in his kitchen with more questions than answers.

Flying home, Hades’ words weighed heavy on my mind. Those closest to me, well none of them were Psyche—they were Gods, Goddesses, and other beings I have known for centuries. There was no way anyone ‘closest’ to me was a nineteen year old mortal woman.

Arriving home, I was thankful that most of the children were already at school for the day. Walking into the living room I found Mom and Ampelus watching TV while Dad sat on the floor sharpening some sort of instrument of death and destruction.

Mom glanced at me as I entered the room. “Hey Baby Bear.” She greeted lightheartedly. “Where were you?”

“Here and there.” I lied, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “Littles all at school?”

“Yes, and Agape is spending the weekend in Atlantis, so Trite is picking her up today.” Mom explained, her eyes locked firmly on the TV. 

Oh good, one less mouth to feed for a few nights. It was a never-ending rotation of kids visiting their dads. At one point I tried to keep a schedule but it just got too complex. Especially as the kids got older and were able to tell us when they wanted to go visit their dads and when they wanted to stay home.

“Sounds good. I’m going to shower.” They all muttered their goodbyes as I trudged up the stairs to my bedroom. 

Stepping into the hot spray, I heaved a deep sigh. Hades’s words continued to roll through my mind on a constant loop. 

_ Simply overlooking. _

Who in the name of Gaia could I be overlooking? As I washed my hair I made a mental list of people in my everyday life then proceeded to tick off the impossibilities; my siblings were all off, along with my parents. 

Persephone was impossible; she was most certainly a virgin when we met and I had seen her grow things with nothing more than her power. She was a lot of things; a wonderful Goddess, a dear friend, a compassionate being... but she was not my Psyche.

The new barista at my favorite cafe… no, she had recently gotten engaged to the Satyr who owned the bookstore a few doors down. 

The new hairstylist at the salon? She was a lovely woman, but she was also asexual. My Psyche was certainly not.

I sighed as the last of the soap rinsed from my hair and circled the drain. 

Bracing one hand against the wall, I used the other to turn off the water before pushing my hair back. 

This was hopeless. 

I’m sure Hades thought he was being helpful, but the only other “new person” in my life since Psyche went missing was Ampelus. 

For a moment it felt as if the world stopped. I just stood in the shower, dripping wet and staring at the tile wall in front of me. 

Ampelus. 

The purple nymph my mom had been hauling around for weeks. She had appeared mere days after I left Psyche and had been nothing but dutiful, kind and helpful since she arrived. 

“ _ What the fuck _ !” I screamed into the void before quickly getting out of the shower and toweling off. My mind was a blur as I quickly searched for clean clothes. 

Part of me hoped,  _ prayed _ even that it was true. That my Psyche was just down the hall. But another part of me didn’t believe it possible. 

She had been so close, literally within my grasp on more than one occasion, and I hadn’t realized it. How could I have looked into those eyes, heard that voice and seen that smile and still not realized who she really was?

Stepping into the hallway I listened closely; Mom and Dad whispering in the living room, but nothing else. 

As I walked down the hall towards Ampelus’s room I realized the door was open, allowing the light from her bedside lamp to shine out into the hallway.

I held my breath, still not entirely sure of what I was going to say. If I was wrong, it would make life absurdly awkward. 

But if I was right?

Her bedroom door was open just a crack. With a soft knock I pushed the door open a bit more to find Ampelus pouring over her sketch pad. She looked so focused, curled up in the center of her bed with her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her pencil in hand. 

She didn’t realize I was there, so as I stood inside her bedroom door, I took a deep breath and said the only thing that felt right.

“Hey, Psyche?” 

“Yes?” She answered automatically, looking up from her sketch pad. 

When our eyes met Psyche gasped, but I didn’t have the time to say a word before I collapsed to the ground and the world around me fell into darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 will up up within the next few days <3


	4. Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Psyche and Eros finally share a conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't say thank you enough for the reads, comments and kudos! I am having a lot of fun writing this but it is always an added bonus to know others are enjoying it as well! 
> 
> Please Note: updates might slow a bit going forward, up until this point things had been pretty easy, I was writing based off of canon scenes. But now I'm diverting and getting into my own plot and it takes a bit more brain power. Don't worry, the story is far from over, but I might have to slow down to once a week in order to keep the story as detailed as I want <3
> 
> Enjoy the last smut free chapter ;)

Ares dropped Eros onto his bed with an unceremonious huff. 

Seeing his son laid out, unconscious, elicited a deep, exasperated sigh from the God of War.

“What did you do to him?” Ares teased, glancing at me over his shoulder. I gasped, unsure of how to respond.

“Nothing! I just responded when he said my name.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt the weight of Aphrodite’s gaze. 

The Goddess of Beauty had previously been standing in the doorway of her son’s room. Now she was directly behind me, arms crossed and breathing down my neck.

“Your name. Which name would that be?” Her tone was controlled, but I was no fool and could detect the edge of hostility. 

For a moment I just stood there staring at Eros. 

He had finally put the pieces together, and with no outright help from myself. When Aphrodite first found me, she had said she would not kill me then, but made no promises for the future… In the month since then, we had bonded and I thought we had formed an understanding, if not a friendship. 

But now, standing between her and Ares, with Eros comatose on the bed, I wasn’t so sure.

Slowly I turned on my heel to face Aphrodite. “He figured it out.” my voice was hollow. “I didn’t tell him, I swear! He just walked into my room and said ‘hey, Psyche?’ and I answered without thinking!” My knees felt like they might give out; Aphrodite was known for her short temper and irrational behavior, if she felt so inclined.

Aphrodite studied me with narrowed eyes. “You’re safe for now… when Eros wakes up, I’ll hear his side of the story. If things don’t match up…” Aphrodite let my imagination finish her sentence. 

Grasping me by the shoulders with both hands, Aphrodite’s eyes glowed white as she looked me in the eye. 

My skin tingled. My scalp prickled. My whole body felt as if it had been warmed by a fire.

When Aphrodite released me and stepped back, her eyes having returned to their usual purple hue, Ares let out a low whistle. Glancing down at myself I felt uneasy. My skin was no longer purple, my hair had been returned to its dark brown and pin-straight texture. I was no longer Ampelus the nymph, I was Psyche.

\---

Once we were left alone, I moved Eros into a more natural position; head on pillow, both legs straight, his hands clasped over his stomach. It took all my strength to move his dead weight, but he looked far more comfortable once I was done. 

Glancing around his bedroom, I rolled my eyes. Messy man. 

While he slept, I made myself busy by picking up his clothes and putting them in the hamper. Once I was content with the state of his room I sat on the bed beside him and began flipping through TV channels, wanting a distraction while I waited for him to finally come back to the land of the living. 

While waiting for Eros, I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I felt the gentle caress of a familiar hand. 

Slowly I awoke, sighing blissfully as I nuzzled into the hand that touched my cheek. It was the touch I would recognize anytime, anyplace. Warmth, tenderness, comfort, safety, wrapped in the magenta skin of the man I loved.

My eyes fluttered open to find Eros laying beside me, propped up on one elbow while his free hand traced the features of my face.

He looked deliriously happy. “I’ve dreamed of you every night but this is the first time I’ve been able to touch you.”

Reaching out, I traced his jaw with a fingertip. “Probably because you aren’t dreaming anymore.”

“Well of course I am.” Eros chuckled, still mesmerized by my skin, his feather light caresses moved from my face to my jaw, neck and shoulders. His fingers danced across my copper skin, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

“You’re in my bed, in my mother’s house, alive. Since I can’t die and go to Elysium, well, then I must be dreaming.” His logic was simple, but sound considering his weeks of blissful ignorance as we lived under the same roof. 

Realizing this might be a more difficult conversation than I originally imagined, I took a deep breath. “You truly do not believe this is real life?”

Eros shook his head no, his eyes staring at my lips. 

It felt wrong, kissing him when he doesn’t even know I am real. But as I stared into those big beautiful eyes of his, I couldn’t come up with a better way to show just how real I was. 

Slowly, so that he could see what I was going for, I took Eros’s face between my hands. As my eyes focused on his plump lips, he smiled, knowing exactly what I was going to do next. It was nothing more than a brush of the lips, a soft promise of what was to come. 

As our lips met, Eros gasped, clearly not having expected the kiss to feel so real. Not wanting to run the risk of him fainting again, I pulled away after the slightest of contact. 

When our eyes met, everything fell into place in Eros’s mind and reality struck him like lightning. 

“ _ Psyche _ .” He whispered, eyes wide. In the time it took me to blink, Eros moved. 

With inhuman speed and strength he lifted his hands, threading one into my hair and using the other to grasp my hip, using the momentum of his movements to flip me onto my back beneath him. Feeling the lines of his body against mine was more powerful than I had imagined, the heat of his body radiating through our clothes. His kiss was more intoxicating than the finest wine, and the way his hands tugged at my hair sent a shiver through me. 

As he broke the kiss to trail his lips down my jaw and neck, I regained a little composure. “Eros?”

“I missed you so much.” He punctuated each word with a hot, open mouthed kiss along my neck. “I thought you were gone forever.” One of his hands left my hair and caressed down my neck and chest before settling on my breast. Palming me through my shirt, he stoked and caressed until my nipples pebbled, making it possible to capture one between his fingers. The moment he pinched me, even through my shirt and bra, warmth flooded my body. 

Part of me, a big part of me, wanted to surrender to the pent up lust and desire I felt for Eros. To give up rational thought, care and reason in order to be one with him again. To allow him to continue stroking, caressing and kissing to his heart's content. To give in and allow him to reduce me to a puddle of whimpering shivers, drunk on lust. 

But this wasn’t the right time. 

The last time we spoke, I had come close to stabbing him. There were more than one or two things we had to discuss before we could jump back into bed. 

While doing my best to ignore how close his lips were to my nipple, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Eros.  _ Stop _ .”

His lips left my skin and his hands released me in the same instant. The loss of contact was jarring, but allowed me the ability to think clearly and breathe at a steady pace. When I opened my eyes, I found him sitting beside me with his legs crossed and hands in his lap, contently waiting for me to speak again.

“Thank you.” I whispered, sitting up in order for us to face one another.

“Did I hurt you?” His expression was still a mask of content patience, but in his eyes I saw a shadow of concern. Reaching out, I took Eros’s hands into my own and gave them a squeeze. “No, I just think we need to talk before we…” My face felt hot as I glanced away, why was this so difficult?

Eros smiled, a warm, loving smile just for me. “Yea, you’re right… I just got excited.” His cheeks darkened with a soft blush before he took a breath. “So, what do you want to say first?” 

“I’m sorry.” I whispered, already feeling the tears well up in my eyes. “I should have never listened to my sisters, or allowed them to get into my head. I love you so much, you are everything I could ever want and I… I hope one day you can forgive me.”

Eros’s response was not one I expected. “Psyche, can I hold you?” He asked. When I nodded, he released my hands and pulled me into his lap. For a moment we sat there, wrapped in one another’s arms, Eros softly stroking my hair. 

“I forgave you the moment I woke up.” He admitted, his voice gentle and solemn. “I left because I was scared of how easily I forgave you.” He kissed the top of my head before continuing on, “You were a mortal, wielding a mortal weapon. Was I startled and hurt? Yes. Could you have actually harmed me? No. Not in the slightest.”

“Then why didn’t you come back for me?” I whispered, staring down at my hands. For the entire time of our separation, I had been under the impression that I could have actually harmed him that night, and the guilt had nearly eaten me alive.

Eros sighed. “I was scared of how much you could hurt me emotionally. No one has ever had that much influence over me. It was surreal, and frightening.” He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Guess you could say I got a taste of my own medicine and didn’t like it.”

It was a relief to hear he had let go of his anger. Letting out a deep breath that I felt like I had been holding since that fateful night, I leaned into Eros’s chest and closed my eyes. Breathing in his warm musky scent was more calming than a hot bath. With my ear against his chest, I could feel his heart steadily beat. 

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Anything else you want to talk about?” He whispered into my hair. 

I considered the question; was there? His cavalier attitude towards it all was jarring after all this time. For weeks I had walked through this world feeling overwhelming guilt for ruining our relationship only to discover he had long since gotten over it. Was there more we could discuss? Of course. But in the moment, wrapped in his arms and curled up in the center of his bed I couldn’t imagine anything more important than his touch. 

Words could wait.

Looking up at Eros, I shook my head no.

His pupils dilated. “If you’re sure…” In another inhumanly fast move, I was once again lying on my back, Eros pressing his growing erection into my thigh. “Can I properly show you how much I missed you?”

I nodded yes as Eros closed the distance between us and captured my lips in a bruising kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you PhantomDingo for the amazing beta work <3


	5. Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eros and Psyche finally reconnect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note additional tags and rating change for this chapter. From here forward there is chance of sexy time, I hope you enjoy <3

I had thought my memories of Eros had been strong, but they paled in comparison to having him in the flesh. 

The warm magenta glow of his skin, the chiseled lines of his abs, hips and legs. The way his large hands enveloped my ribcage as he moved me into a better position on the bed, or the way his lips felt as he trailed feather light kisses along my stomach and thighs. 

Every touch was like fire, sending shivers of pleasure through my body and setting me ablaze. I wanted to beg him to go faster, I wanted to save the caressing and gentle kisses for another time. I wanted him like the last time we had been together; hard, intensely and overwhelming.

But this time was different. In many ways, it was not unlike the first time we laid together. We took our time with one another, memorizing every line, dip and curve of each other’s bodies. The intimacy was unlike anything I had experienced before. 

The only time we separated for more than a blink was to undress one another. Eros was easy, dressed in grey sweats that left little to the imagination. I, on the other hand, required a bit more finesse. Eros was meticulous as he removed the fibulae at my shoulders one at a time before placing them on the bedside table before slowly untying the cord sash around my waist. Once there was nothing firmly holding my peplos in place he bit his bottom lip in excitement and pulled away the garment. 

Eros’s face was a mix of pure excitement and amazement. His eyes wandered across every inch of freshly exposed skin before he even touched me.

“Is something wrong?” My voice cracked with emotion. 

He swallowed. “No.” He looked me in the eye and I felt my breath catch in my throat; his usually bright and cheerful expression was far more focused and serious, and the sparkle in his eye was replaced by a white hot fire. “I just… I thought I’d never see you again.” His voice was low and rough and sent my mind reeling. Reaching out, Eros cupped one of my breasts in his hand, tracing the underside with his thumb. My head rolled back as my eyes closed, the contact heavenly. 

“What if…” Words failed me as his gentle fondling pushed me beyond distraction. I cleared my throat. “What if it is not like it was before?”

Eros paused, but did not remove his hand from my breast. “The sex?” he questioned. I simply nodded. “Babe…” He closed the distance between us only to flick his tongue against my nipple before capturing it between his lips and sucking lightly. I saw stars. 

The conversation ended after that. Eros paid equal attention to my breasts, caressing and fondling one while he paid attention to the other with his mouth, then he would switch. Leaning back on my elbows I was somewhat trapped under the weight of his ministrations. Could I have moved? Of course. Was I going to? Not unless forced. 

We did end up changing positions countless times before I gained the upper ground. When I did finally reach for his member, Eros was seated on the bed, leaning against the headboard while I straddled his lap. 

I dragged my fingertips down his chest and abs, smiling into our kisses as I felt his muscles respond to my touch. 

Although his erection had been settled between us ever since we moved into our seated position, this was the first time I had gone to touch him. In all of our encounters, Eros had always taken the lead, constantly checking in with me to ensure he not only was reading my emotions and desires properly, but that I was consciously enjoying myself. 

But that was before. Before I knew what it felt like to lose him. Before I spent weeks lying in a dark room by myself, staring up at the ceiling with only him on my mind. 

Now I not only wanted Eros, I wanted to be sure he knew just how much. 

His girth prevented my hands from wrapping around his erection entirely. As I took hold and began to stroke him, Eros’s chest rumbled with a sound that was reminiscent of a growl. He grasped my hip with one hand, the other threading into my hair to hold me firmly in place, keeping my eyes level with his own. 

My movements felt clumsy which did nothing for the nervousness that continued to creep into my mind. 

_ Was I doing this properly? _

_ Did he feel good? _

_ Would I disappoint him? _

As the anxiety rolled through me Eros’s grip on my hair tightened slightly. I hissed and pulled back to look him in the eye. He hadn’t hurt me, not in the slightest. 

“Psyche.” His voice reminded me of before we were separated. When Eros was turned on there was an edge to his voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. Maybe it was his godly influence, or maybe it was just love--either way it did things to me. 

“I don’t want you to be so nervous.” He continued on. My grip on his swollen cock stilled. “If you want… I can--” He swallowed. It was perfectly acceptable among the gods to use their powers on mortals whenever they desired--the fact that Eros asked, and that he was so nervous to do so, was heartwarming. 

I nodded wordlessly. “Please.” My voice was raspy and weak. Eros smirked as he moved his hands to grip my hips. He delicately flipped us so I was on my back beneath him, my head nestled on the pile of fluffy pillows at the head of the bed. 

For a moment we looked into one another’s eyes and the world seemed to stand still. His usual magenta complexion had darkened slightly with arousal, and his lips swollen from kisses. 

As his hands began to roam along my naked body again, he pressed his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. 

It wasn’t the first time I had consented to Eros using his influence on me, and would not be the last. 

Warmth flowed through me, spreading from where our foreheads met to every possible inch of my body. My mind remained clear, but my muscles loosened and calmed. As I relaxed into the warm embrace of his power, my hips widened, allowing him to press more firmly against me. 

Letting out a little sigh I snaked my hands around Eros’s neck and pulled him in for a lazy kiss. 

“Feel better?” He asked, his voice husky and playful.

I nodded as I kissed the corner of his mouth. “Please touch me.” I whispered against his skin. Eros chuckled, a warm sound that radiated from his chest. 

He was everywhere. His hands caressed my breasts, tweaking my nipples until they stiffened under his touch before he moved down my stomach, hips and finally to where I needed him most.

When he slipped his index finger inside of me, he sighed into my neck, lightly sucking on the skin there. 

“Just as warm and wet as always.” he praised, his words sending a warm shiver down my spine. I widened my legs as he worked me over with one finger, then two. I groaned as he stretched me.

It had been so long since I felt like this.

Thrusting into me with two fingers, he pressed his thumb lightly to my clit. I pulled my knees closed to my chest before my legs fell flat against the bed on either side of my body, my head rolling to the side.

Eros grinned. “There’s my good girl.” He cooed, kissing down my neck until he reached my collarbones. “Are you going to come for me?” His tone was light, casual, almost teasing. Between his playful words and the way he was working me over with his hand, I felt the muscles in my belly tighten.

I felt his hot breath against my ear. “Is my good girl going to come all over my fingers?”

That was all it took.

My vision went white as my skin turned warm and tingly. Had it not been for Eros’s firm hold on me, I feared I might have floated away. 

I cried out as I curled in on myself, but Eros never let go. He continued to thrust his fingers in and out and rub my clit as I convulsed around him. 

As the tremors began to subside and I came back to myself, I opened my eyes to find Eros licking his fingers clean. My mouth fell open at the sight.

“Hmm, just as sweet as I remember.” He commented. “Like honeysuckle.” 

The fact that I was aroused by the sight of him cleaning off his fingers with his mouth, having had them inside of me, was startling enough, but to then have him comment on the taste? I was speechless. 

Eros chuckled in response to my stunned silence and closed the distance between us, capturing my lips in a heated kiss. My eyes fluttered closed again as his hands began to wander, caressing and fondling anything and everything as if he had not done so moments before.

“Eros…” I whispered between kisses.

“Mhmm?”

“I want you.”

He smiled against my lips. “You have me.”

I groaned as he broke our kiss to nibble along my neck, his teeth never biting down hard enough to break skin. His presence alone was overwhelming, but I wanted more,  _ needed _ more.

“Eros, please.”

He never stopped kissing along my neck and shoulders before descending to my breasts. “Use your words, Psyche.”

“What?”

He took my nipple between his teeth and tugged lightly as he looked up at me through his thick lashes. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.” He was so calm, so matter of fact. 

Words were never something I was good with. After a lifetime of being forced into silence by those I loved most I grew accustomed to others making decisions for me. But Eros never wanted to do anything I didn’t want. In the beginning he would use his powers to better pinpoint my limits and desires, but as time went on he was more forceful in making me use my words.

He switched to the other breast and suckled. “I’m waiting....” He teased, failing to hide his smile. 

Looking up at the ceiling I took a deep breath to try and focus--nerves were not the issue in the moment, but simply picking the right words. 

“I want…” I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “I want your cock.”

Before I opened my eyes Eros had left my breasts and was eye level with me once again, his throbbing member nudging against my inner thigh. The look in his eyes was borderline feral as he gathered my hands in his own and pinned them above my head. 

“Remember our safe word?” He asked calmly. I was acutely aware of the way his body felt pressed against mine, the way his chiseled hips pressed me into the bed, holding me firmly in place.

I nodded. 

“Say it.”

“Cupid.”

“Good girl.” He cooed. 

Taking a hold of his member he teased my opening at first, gathering the wetness on the end of his cock. I opened up to him like a flower to the sun, not wanting to appear hesitant for even a second. Every fiber of my being screamed for him.

My frame of reference for the size of a man was non-existent, but based on how my mother described sex, Eros was well endowed. The way he stretched me as he slowly entered was a hot sort of pressure that was never painful, but foreign in nature. 

Eros moaned as he reached his hilt, burying his face in my neck as he paused for a moment. The discomfort was similar to that of the first time, but far less intense and faded much more quickly. 

“Please.” I begged, my words coming out as a soft whimper. 

His pace was steady, firm, and precise. I gasped and threw my head back, my vision going blurry as the pleasure spread from where we were joined to every other part of my body. 

I felt him everywhere. 

“Fuck, Psyche.” Eros growled, throwing his head back. “I don’t care if you try to decapitate me, I’m never leaving you again.”

When he released my hands from above my head I grabbed his broad shoulders. Unable to help myself I dragged my nails down his back, eliciting a sharp hiss from the god as he continued to pound into me. 

The pressure in my lower belly began to build again, almost to a painful height. Gasping for air I lean in and bite his chest. 

“Please, please,  _ please _ ....” I begged.

One of his hands tangled into my hair, taking hold and angling my face so our lips met. “Shhh, I know baby. You’re about to come, aren’t you?” 

My whole body was on fire, I couldn’t see straight, much less form coherent sentences, so I nodded in response. 

Eros chuckled as he quickened his pace, somehow reaching even deeper than before. 

Once, twice, three times and then I was falling. 

Crying out, I curled into Eros, my forehead resting against his shoulder as my body trembled in his arms, his cock still thrusting as wave after wave of pleasure rolled through me and my world faded into black.

My skin prickled as the tremors began to calm and I regained a sense of self. As I slowly blinked my eyes, I found myself cradled in Eros’s arms as we laid in the center of his bed. He stroked my hair as he smiled down at me lovingly.

“Are you okay?” He asked sweetly, his usual question once I regained coherency after love making. 

I nodded, leaning into his chest. “I forgot how intense it was.” I admitted.

Eros chuckled. “Yea, me too…” He sighed. “We broke my bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you PhantomDingo for your unwavering support and cheerleading <3


	6. Words of a Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A goddess is summoned and Eros is cock blocked - I hate summaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although the temple of Artemis in Ephesus is no longer standing in its original glory, it is still considered one of the world’s 7 wonders. 
> 
> The prayer used is one I’ve cobbled together after reading a few different Artemis specific prayers both modern and ancient. 
> 
> In Mythos and Canon LO Psyche's sisters, parents and home are unnamed so I made up my own for the sake of this story :)

The temple was bathed in moonlight as the three hooded figures approached. In the courtyard was a small fountain centered between two massive statues of horse drawn carriages, a nod to the Patron Goddess’s twin brother. 

As they ascended the steep marble steps, they remained silent, all three too focused on the task at hand. 

Towering columns dwarfed the figures as they entered and knelt, offering their worship to the patron goddess they came to for blessings and aid.

The leader of the triad stood and walked a few paces ahead, their steps short and quick as they echoed on the polished marble floor of the temple. 

At the far end was a massive statue of Artemis, standing tall and proud, eternally preserved in finely carved marble. She held a bow in one hand, a full quiver of arrows across her back, her features soft enough to appear lifelike. On either side of the gentle Goddess were symbols of her domain; wolves moving in a united pack to her right, and a figure of a deer to her left. 

When the first of the three visitors reached the base of the statue they paused and removed their hood. 

A woman, middle aged with long pin straight black hair. In the light of the full moon her copper skin appeared as flawless as the marble of the statue before her. A golden band around her head keeping her hair from obstructing her vision, while also signifying her position as queen. Flanking the mortal Queen were two of her daughters, equal to her in beauty and nearly identical in their looks. 

In unison the three women knelt.

“Artemis, Daughter of Leto, friend of young maids. 

“I pray to you, O goddess, watch over Psyche, in her travels through the world, wherever she might be. 

“Protect my daughter, gentle goddess, from whomever has taken her from her family and home. Give her the gift of mind, strength and hope. 

“I seek your favor and blessing, O goddess and pray you might return my daughter to her family.” 

She then stood and looked up at the statue's face. “I, Queen Eugenia of Ephesus, come to you gentle Goddess, not only as a queen, but as a mother and loyal worshiper. I pray you return my daughter to me so she might resume her role and carry out her duties to her family and community.”

Silence fell over the temple for the briefest moment before the howl of a wolf could be heard in the distant forest. 

Lysistrate and Sappho took their mother’s silence as a sign and walked around her in order to lay their offering at the goddess’s feet. Once they bowed to the statue, the girls turned to their mother and followed her from the temple.

\---

In the distance, at the edge of the woods, stood a lone woman dressed in hunting regalia and holding a bow in one hand and a wolf at her side. She had heard every word spoken in her sacred temple and felt a wave of rage bubble up in her chest. 

A young woman had once again been taken by a man and this time she would not, could not, turn her back.

  
  


\---Psyche POV---

Aphrodite sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she stood before us. 

“Let me get this straight…  _ Hades _ told you who she was?” She growled, her eyes dark with rage.

“No… He told me to pay more attention.” Eros argued, crossing his arms over his chest. We were seated on Aphrodite’s living room couch. 

We had been summoned by the Goddess of Beauty no more than twenty minutes after making love. Eros had pulled on his sweat pants and tossed me one of his soft tee shirts and we ascended hand in hand. 

Ares had laughed.

Aphrodite had emitted a sound I had previously only heard from animals in pain.

Now we were being questioned as if we had committed a crime against humanity. Eros quickly explained that nothing I had said or done brought my true identity to his attention, but more the subtle prodding of his uncle was what brought everything together. 

This was clearly not the answer she had wanted.

“Come on babe, give them a break.” Ares sighed from his lazy-boy recliner on the other side of the room. He was flipping through TV channels while Aphrodite’s dog snoozed in his lap, snoring softly. “Eros is finally getting laid! Isn’t that something to celebrate?”

Aphrodite glared at the God of War before turning back towards us. For a long moment she looked between Eros and myself, trying to decide her next move. 

“Alright, then what do you two plan to do next?” Aphrodite demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared us down. 

Eros reached out and took my hand into his, weaving our fingers together. 

Neither Eros or myself had much of a chance to actually talk about what would happen next. We had apologized and made love, but that was all. Neither of us knew what we were, or what we wanted next. Before we were separated, we were simply existing in our own little world, enjoying our time together. 

“Well I had planned on having  _ a lot _ more sex and talking to Psyche before discussing anything with you…” Eros muttered under his breath as he looked down at the way his hand engulfed my own. 

Ares barked out a laugh. “That’s my boy!”

“Shut up!” Aphrodite snapped, glaring at Ares over her shoulder before looking back to us. “I recommend you make up your minds quickly on what you want to do. A mortal in Olympus won’t stay a secret forever, and clearly it’s something other Gods can pick up on.” She rolled her eyes, no doubt thinking of Hades. 

Eros worried his bottom lip, clasping my hand a little tighter in his own. “You two won’t say anything about her until we make a plan though… right?”

This gave both Aphrodite and Ares pause, as if startled by the fact that Eros would even ask them such a question. 

“Of course not.” Ares affirmed, his face stern and tone free of sarcasm. 

Aphrodite sighed. “The last thing we would want is to be the reason you two cannot be together.” She added. “We won’t say anything to anyone. Promise.”

Aphrodite dismissed us with a wave of her hand. Not needing to be told twice, Eros quickly guided me back up the stairs and into his bedroom. 

Once the door was locked behind us, we both breathed a sigh of relief. 

I perched myself on the edge of the bed while Eros went to draw the curtains closed on the windows. 

Once the room was draped in privacy, the God of Love turned to face me. 

“Having you around my parents while looking like…” Eros gestured to me, “well, you, was weird.” He admitted sheepishly before coming to join me on the bed. 

We moved to lay down, wrapping one another in our arms and cuddling up together as if there was not a care in the world. But in reality, Aphrodite was right. 

A mortal in Olympus was not allowed. Zeus would banish me, and most likely punish any who had known of my presence without turning me in. The list of who was involved seemed to grow by the hour; Eros, Aphrodite, Ares, Hades...

The idea of what could happen to any of them because of me made me feel sick. 

Eros tucked a section of hair behind my ear, bringing me back into the moment. 

“Relax.” He encouraged. “Everything will work out, I promise.”

I worried my bottom lip. “How can you be so sure? Your grandfather is not an understanding man.”

Eros shrugged. “Power of positive thinking, my love.” He teased, brushing his lips against mine.

There was no way Eros wasn’t at least a little concerned about the days to come, but he had something else on his mind as well. Laying beside one another, he tightened his arms around me, pulling me securely to his chest as he took his time kissing me, our tongues dancing together until I was nearly gasping for air. 

While I tried to regain control of my breathing, Eros made a meandering journey down my body as he gently rolled me onto my back. Kissing, licking and nibbling his way along my neck, shoulders, chest, belly then finally I felt his lips where I had missed them most. 

Even through my panties I felt his pillowy lips kiss my heated center. I turned my head to the side as I grasped the bedcovers below me, searching for anything strong enough to keep me grounded as he began to nip at the sensitive skin of my inner thighs. 

His hands slipped into the waistband of my panties and began dragging them down my legs. He hadn’t even removed them completely when he began suckling my clit into his mouth. 

I cried out, throwing my head back as white hot pleasure shot through every fiber of my being. Eros circled my weeping entrance with his finger as he continued to nibble and suck on my clit. The added sensation only drove me closer to the edge and he had barely touched me.

A loud banging on the bedroom door made my blood run cold. 

Eros growled as he lifted his head from my aching core just enough to look at the door. “What in the name of Gaia is it?” He snapped, eyes glowing red with rage. 

The bedroom door cracked open and Ares stuck his head inside, shielding his eyes with his hand. “Uh, sorry to interrupt what sounded like a lot of fun.” He was grinning like a child.

“What the fuck do you want, dad?” Eros demanded, still in position between my thighs. 

“Artemis is downstairs.” He explained sheepishly. “And she is demanding to see Psyche.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you PhantomDingo for being the best beta and cheerleader a girl could have!
> 
> Kudos and comments sustain me, I appreciate each and every one of you <3


	7. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Artemis will not fail twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried while writing this so if you cry then I am not sorry... well, maybe a little. But not really.

Sitting in the kitchen with a cup of hot tea clutched in my hands, I tried my best to ignore the shouting in the other room. 

Eros and Artemis had been in the other room for nearly thirty minutes at this point. Their words were muffled by the wall separating the kitchen and living room, but the general theme was easily detected; Artemis was under the impression I had been kidnapped and was being held against my will. 

Why she thought this was a mystery to me. She had spent hours with Eros and I when Persephone was thought to be missing and never thought I was being held captive then.

_Back then she knew you as a nymph, not a mortal_.

I rolled my eyes at the thought. Why did that matter? Nymph, mortal or Cyclops, it shouldn’t matter my species if I was in danger or being held against my will. 

Eros’s voice grew louder for a moment, and I sighed. Nothing he said was subduing the Goddess of the Hunt. 

A plate of cookies being set in front of me effectively startled me from my thoughts. Looking up, I found the God of War awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other while scratching the back of his head. We both glanced around the room. How did we end up alone?

Eros and Ares did not look alike in a way that people commonly noticed; one pink as a flamingo while the other was golden and red, like a fire. But they shared the same striking features; a smooth nose, soft pouty lips and a strong jawline. They also shared the same facial expressions when uncomfortable, as well as the same thick hair and bright eyes that had a tendency to turn glowing red when angry.

“Don’t worry, kid.” Ares said, trying to sound reassuring. “We won’t let Artemis snatch you away.” 

That possibility had not crossed my mind. 

Seeing the panicked look on my face Ares sighed. “Shit, I didn’t mean it like that! Because she _so_ wouldn’t take you against your will. That isn’t really her thing.” Ares was doing his best, I could tell, but he was not helping me feel any less uneasy about the situation. 

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat while Ares backtracked on his previous ill-advised joke. “What _would_ she do?” I asked, looking up into Ares’s eyes. 

The God of War didn’t have a response, or at least he didn’t have one that needed saying. Artemis was a Goddess, an Olympian. She could easily overpower me, pull rank on Eros and do as she wished. 

The door from the living room to the kitchen opened. Looking up I found Eros looking equal parts terrified and enraged as his eyes scanned the kitchen finding only his father and I separated by the kitchen table. 

His eyes glowed a soft red as they landed on me.

“She wants to speak with you privately.” He was straining to remain in control of himself as he stood in the doorway, one hand grasping the door tightly enough that I thought the wood might crack.

“And if I refuse?” My voice was hardly above a whisper. The last thing I wanted was to be alone with someone wanting to separate Eros and I. What if she did something drastic once the door was closed and we were without supervision?

“We’ll be right in here.” Ares reassured me. “Best to not piss her off any more than she already is.” He added with a wink. 

As I stood up, my knees shook. I looked down at my hands that were braced on the table, suddenly more self conscious of my very mortal shade of copper skin. Did Artemis have a lot of experience with mortals? Would she forget how delicate I truly am and accidentally hurt me? It was a fear that rarely crossed my mind when around Eros and Aphrodite, they had extensive experience with mortals. Even Ares spent the majority of his time among us. 

Other gods did not have as much experience and ran a higher risk of losing their tempers and harming us, or worse. 

As I reached Eros, who had yet to move from the doorway, he reached out and grasped my hand in his own. His skin was hot with anger, but he was gentle as a dove as he lifted my hand to his lips to lightly kiss my knuckles. 

\---

Artemis sat on the edge of the sofa, head in her hands. For a moment I silently stood in the middle of the room, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. My instincts told me to run from her, that she was a threat to my position in Eros’s life and nothing good would come of this conversation. 

The Goddess of the Hunt looked oddly docile considering the volume of her voice when she had been alone with Eros moments before. Maybe she would act more tactfully than her behavior regarding Persephone’s disappearance led me to believe. 

“You asked to speak with me?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly. 

Artemis immediately looked up at me, her bright eyes locking on my face. For a moment she stared at me, unblinking as she sat on the sofa. Then she stood and I realized she was a full head taller than me. Had I been taller as a Nymph? 

“Psyche, you have to let me take you home.” She wasted no time in cutting to the chase. 

My heart constricted in my chest and I took an instinctive step backwards, away from Artemis. 

Her expression softened minutely. “Look, I know you think you’re in love. But Eros is a love god, it is in your nature as a mortal to feel what you do about him. It isn’t real. You’re not truly here of your own free will.”

I searched her eyes for any sign of dishonesty, but found none. Artemis truly believed what she was saying. The idea of my everything I felt for Eros being a lie felt absurdly wrong; I could feel the difference between when Eros was using his powers on me and when he wasn’t, there was no way I was feeling things that were not real at all times. 

She continued on without waiting for me to respond. “Your mother and sisters have been praying to me nightly. They’re begging for me to bring you home safely.”

The mention of my mother caused my stomach to knot up. “Don’t believe a word my mother says.” I snapped automatically, immediately regretting speaking in such a way to a goddess. “She is a manipulative, abusive--”

“You were kidnapped and brainwashed.”

“I was rescued!”

“You’ve been manipulated by a god.”

“I was manipulated by my parents.”

Artemis reached out and put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to look her in the eye. “I’ve failed one young woman who needed my protection. I will not fail you.” She let me go and took a step back. 

“Be ready by dusk. I’m taking you back to your family. If you and Eros truly belong together, then he can go through the proper channels to get you back.” Without another word Artemis took her leave. 

Someone else had joined us in the living room and opened the front door for Artemis only to slam it shut behind her.

My knees began to buckle but before I could hit the ground, Eros caught me and cradled me against his chest as we sank to the living room floor. My breaths came short and fast as my vision blurred with tears. His arms trembled as he held me so delicately despite the rage that was rolling off him.

Going back to my home and family was my worst nightmare. Gods only knew what awaited me when I was back in the custody of my mother and father. They had been easily enraged before I had been rescued; now that I had most likely ruined the marriage they had arranged they would have even more reason to act out against me.

If I was being honest with myself, Mother had a temper on a good day, with no inspiration. Going back after nearly a year gone only meant she had more time to come up with new and exciting ways to bring me into submission. 

I shivered at the thought. 

“Dad?” Eros’s voice cracked as he continued to cradle me in his arms and stroke my hair. 

Ares sighed somewhere behind me. “I’ll see what I can do son… But I doubt she’ll be interested in acting quickly.”

“What about _him_?”

Ares scoffed. “You’re kidding, right?”

\---

Aphrodite came home forty-five minutes before Artemis was expected to return. Eros recounted the events of the afternoon quickly and quietly in the corner as Ares kept watch out the front window. 

To say the Goddess of Beauty was angry would have been a gross understatement. She was far more willing to start a war of domains with Artemis than Eros was, which only encouraged Ares. 

“No one is starting a war, no matter how small, over me.” I intervened. “Please. Just let us try another way. Any other way.”

Although Ares pouted, he agreed to try more tactful avenues and proceeded to send texts and make phone calls while muttering about how throwing spears was far more productive. 

Eros remained hopeful. Every time Ares received a response to a text, or made a phone call, the God of Love would perk up, his grasp on my hands tightening ever so slightly. 

But every text was a dead end and every phone call went unanswered. 

As the sky outside began to turn pink, Eros began to shut down. His eyes turned sad and hollow as he stared at me, the only signs of life the warmth of his hands in mine and the way his bottom lip would tremble from time to time. He did not move from where we sat on the couch as the minutes passed. He did not even react when Aphrodite came into the room and told me it was time I changed into something more suitable for the mortal realm.

Standing in Aphrodite’s closet, I was reminded of the many afternoons I spent with her sorting through her wardrobe, helping her change and organize new items sent to her by adoring fans and up-and-coming designers. Her closet was once a place of excitement and fun, but today I stood naked in the middle of the room fearful for my life. 

Aphrodite brought out a lilac peplos and a new set of silver fibula engraved with her own symbol.

“I cannot wear this.” I whispered as I touched the finely woven fabric. 

“You can and will.” She stated defiantly. “If you are being removed from my son’s arms and my home, you will go making it abundantly clear who is being dishonored.” She began wrapping the fabric around me. “I want no mistakes made. They will know and then one day, they will pay for what they have done.”

I remained silent as I watched our reflections in the mirror. 

Aphrodite had never dressed me before. She seldom dressed herself, opting to have myself or another assistant help her. 

She was methodical, focused, and precise in her movements and placement of the fabric before she secured it in place. Once she was done, she stepped back and took in my appearance. 

“You will look after him while I am gone, won’t you?” I asked, my voice cracking as a tear slid down my cheek.

Aphrodite brushed my hair behind my ear. “Until you return to him.”

\---

Although Artemis was waiting downstairs, Aphrodite insisted she could wait until I was done saying goodbye to Eros privately. The walk down the hall to his bedroom felt far too short. I wanted every step to last forever in order to keep me in the same place as him for as long as possible. 

His room looked like it had been turned upside down. Bookshelves were cleared, his bed was broken the rest of the way and now laid in two splintered halves. Clothes, shoes, and all other belongings were strewn across the floor. He had torn down and broken anything he could reach until he was left surrounded by destruction. 

Eros sat in the middle of the mess with his head in his hands, his body shaking slightly. From where I stood in the doorway I was unsure if he shook from tears or anger. Regardless, I couldn’t allow him to suffer alone.

Kneeling before him, I reached out and took his hands into my own in order to draw them away from his face. 

Sniffling, Eros forced a smile through his tear stained expression, looking me over but never meeting my gaze.

“You look beautiful.” He commented, letting my hand go to caress the fibula at my right shoulder. His eyebrows raised slightly upon recognizing his mother’s symbol. 

I glanced around at the chaos. “What happened?” 

Eros sighed. “Dad said no massacres.” He shrugged dejectedly. “So I broke things.”

We fell back into silence. Neither one of us knew what to say. We would have to separate in order to keep Artemis from turning everyone in for harboring a mortal in the city. There were ways for me to return legally, but even I did not fully understand them and did not want to waste the little time I had with him asking for Eros to explain. 

“I love you.” I whispered, breaking the silence as the seconds stretched on. “More than my own life.”

Eros shook his head, his eyes casting down. “Don’t say that.”

“You say it all the time.”

“Immortal lives are different. Your life is the most precious thing to me. Nothing can be above it.” He cupped my face in his hands as tears fell down his cheeks. “I’ll burn Olympus down if that is what it takes to get you back.”

“No you won’t.” I whispered, my voice faltering with the threat of my own tears. “You’ll do this the right way, and if it does not work you will forget me.”

Eros’s eyes widened, but I continued on. “I’ll live to be what, fifty? Sixty years old? That will be a speck of time for you.” I took a deep breath. “If we cannot be together peacefully, and in a way that respects all of the Gods’ domains, forget me.” Saying the words felt like I was stabbing myself in the chest. 

No part of me wanted to ever leave Eros’s side, much less have him leave me behind. But I also knew what could happen if the Gods were put against one another. After nineteen years of honoring and worshiping, I could not ask for the Gods to go to war with one another.

“No, you can’t ask me to do that.” Eros shook his head. “I will not give up.”

Reaching out, I caressed his cheek. “I am not asking.” I whispered. “I love you. With everything I am and will ever be. If you love me, then please, promise you will not turn the world over in order to get me back.” My voice cracked as my own tears began to fall. 

Eros did not speak. Instead, he brought his lips to my face and kissed away my tears before kissing my lips. I melted against him, savoring everything about the kiss. The way his lips felt against mine, his smell, his taste. I wanted to commit it all to memory in case it was our last kiss.

We held one another as our tongues came together in a familiar dance and our lips became salty with tears, neither of us ready to accept that our time together was once again about to come to a sudden end. 

\---

Artemis stood outside in the front yard with Ares. She looked up at me and smiled as if she was there for a friendly visit. 

“Ready to go?” She asked cheerfully. Ares rolled his eyes at her inability to read the room.

“I am ready to honor the will of the gods.” I vowed, my voice rough with emotion. Artemis seemed taken off guard by my words, but only for a moment before she reached out for my hand. With one last glance at Ares, I went to Artemis’s side and accepted her outstretched hand. 

The God of War looked ready for blood, but despite his glowing red eyes and clenched jaw, he simply gave me a single firm nod before I was swept up into a cloud of purple smoke. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that without PhantomDingo this story would be a mess of poor grammar, the most off the wall spelling errors and lots of repeated sentences?


	8. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Psyche and Eros are separated once again.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE NEW TAGS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! PLEASE NOTE ADDITIONAL TAGS! 
> 
> This chapter includes depictions/discussions/references to the following: verbal abuse, physical abuse, starvation, isolation, virginity checks/hymen checks, slut shaming
> 
> Please read with care and caution. 
> 
> The majority of the abuse is described through the eyes of the abused - I do my very best to keep things from getting too graphic. 
> 
> Trauma and abuse will not be the theme of this story, it is just what is happening right now. But as they say, there is never sunshine without a little rain.

A gentle evening breeze made its way through the room from the open window facing the north as I lay curled up around myself, trying the best I could to ignore the sting of my back and the ache of my body.

Three days had passed since Artemis turned me back over to custody of my parents. 

Three days of abusive scolding.

Three days of lashings.

Three days of being given just enough food and water to stay alive.

My sisters did not speak to me on the rare occasion that they saw me. They simply looked on with hollow, pitiless eyes before turning away to continue about their lives. 

When I wasn’t being beaten, or yelled at, I was locked in my bedroom with no more than a small cup of water and a few pieces of bread for food. No bathing, no socialization, no clean clothes. 

I wore the same peplos I had come home in, only now it was ripped and stained with blood. 

Aretmis was welcomed by my parents as a hero, and they played the part of the relieved family as soon as they saw me. I begged for her to stay, or at the very least to keep watch nearby, but Artemis saw nothing wrong with the situation and assured me that I was back where I belonged.

The moment the Goddess left the property, my parents turned back into the people I knew all too well. 

The sound of the heavy iron lock on my bedroom door being released made me cringe, knowing all too well what was coming next. 

As the door opened, I braced. 

Mother scoffed as she paused in the doorway. “Haven’t moved. Surprise, surprise,” She mocked before entering the door. I could tell where she was in the room by the way her skirts dusted the stone floor. She was pacing around me like a wolf circling prey. 

“You leave with a so-called  _ god _ , only to return months later dressed like a whore and ruined forever.” She growled. “Oh yes, you have no secrets anymore. The physician said that you had been with a man, he was able to easily confirm it.” Her voice was full of venom and haughty confidence, only adding to the sting of the memory from the previous afternoon when the royal physician had me held down so he could conduct his so-called ‘examination’. 

_ “Virginity is a social construct, those exams are blasphemous.”  _ Eros had explained one afternoon while I read a book he had published on the topic. _ “If anyone ever tries to examine you to determine your virginity, run! Because you’ll be in the presence of dangerous fools.”  _

At the time we had laughed, thinking of that ever happening to me as a long-off impossibility. 

Yet here I lay; violated, bleeding, and weak with hunger. 

A sharp kick to my already bruised ribs knocked the wind out of me and caused me to gasp for air. “You pathetic little whore, did you truly think you could escape your duty?” Mother took hold of my hair, hauling me to my feet in order to look me in the eye. 

“I brought you into this world. I own you.” She growled, her eyes boring into mine. When she released her hold on my hair I collapsed back into a heap on the floor. 

Tears soaked my face before the door even closed behind her. 

  
  
  


\---Eros’s POV---

The chilly evening air of the Underworld bit at the exposed skin of my face as I walked up the path to Hades’s front door. 

The day had been a long and wasted one and while I couldn’t stay in Hera’s offices another moment, I wasn’t ready to go home yet. 

So I went to the only other place I could think of.

Persephone was in the midst of baking a pie, filling the King’s home with warmth and happiness. But Hades saw the look on my face before even opening the door and quickly ushered me past the kitchen without rousing the Spring Goddess’s suspicions. 

I followed him silently down the long halls of his home until we reached his office. 

With the door securely shut behind us, the King of the Underworld went straight to the bar while I collapsed onto the sofa. My mind was a blank; every second that Psyche spent in the mortal realm was a second I was failing her. It had now been nearly a full week since she walked out of my bedroom and I hadn’t been able to sleep, eat, much less think without becoming sick with worry.

Hades eventually turned to me and walked over, holding out a glass of amber liquid.

I sighed. “I’m not much of a scotch guy…”

He did not relent. “Eros, I think I know a thing or two about how you’re feeling and believe me, a cosmopolitan will not help you right now.”

I sighed and accepted the drink. He had a point. The warmth of the alcohol spread through me like a wildfire. It did nothing for the heartache, but it did bring a comforting fullness to my belly that I had not experienced in days. 

Hades settled himself behind his desk before taking a sip of his own drink. “No progress, I take it?”

I shook my head, unable to look my uncle in the eye. “None. Hera won’t even listen to me anymore.” 

Since the night Psyche left Dad had been doing everything he could to convince his mother that she needed to intervene. When she began ignoring him, I went to her office to formally apply to marry Psyche, not seeing any other way around Artemis’s domain. She couldn’t step into the boundaries of married women. 

To say Hera refused to even allow me to apply would be polite. In reality, she scoffed at the idea of me marrying a mortal and kicked me out of her office. Luckily her assistant, Echo, scheduled a follow up meeting the next day for me to plead my case.

I explained Psyche’s situation in detail, bringing up her parents, abusive ex-fiance and anything else I could think of. 

Hera was still uninterested. 

Due to my act of wrath in the mortal realm, I was barred from unpermitted travel, preventing me from visiting Psyche even in secret. I went to Artemis, asking for information on her well being but her answers were always the same and inaccurate.

I knew for a fact that there was no way that Psyche was happier, healthier and better off with her family. 

Hades sighed and shook his head. “Artemis is worse at her job than I thought.” He mused, clearly thinking back to Persephone. 

“Hera isn’t very good at hers either.” I muttered into my glass. 

Hades had no audible response to this, instead shrugging as he took another drink. I knew making such comments put Hades in an awkward position; Hera was his sister in law, as well as a queen. He had to tread carefully when personal matters edged towards becoming matters of state or domain. 

Persephone eventually found us; surprised to see me but not questioning my surprise appearance. Being fully aware of the Psyche situation, she quickly wrapped me up in a hug before announcing dinner was ready. She had cooked a spicy tofu curry dish served with white rice. I tried my best to eat, but ended up pushing my food around my plate more than anything else.

Sitting at the same table as two people so in love with one another was more painful than I had anticipated. They were still platonic, but they radiated emotion and hormones like two newly-weds. 

I tried not to hold it against them as they shared a light hearted conversation, but in the end it all became too much and I excused myself to head home. 

The drive was mind-numbingly familiar. The neon lights of the Underworld seamlessly faded into the yellow streetlights of Olympus until I found myself parked in front of my mother’s house. It was nearly ten thirty and I felt no motivation to get out of my car and go inside. I doubted I would have felt like breathing if it wasn’t something my body just did on it’s own. 

My mind was blank. 

My heart was empty. 

* * *

Mom was waiting for me when I finally walked through the front door. She was curled up on the sofa with a blanket over her lap and Pragma passed out in her arms. When our eyes met, she offered a kind-hearted smile.

“How did it go with Hera?” She asked. 

I sighed as I collapsed into Dad’s recliner. “Just as big of a waste of time as every other day this week.” 

Mom scowled. “What is up her ass? If you marry Psyche that will be one less mortal for Zeus to cheat on her with.”

I chuckled in spite of myself. “Yea, considered mentioning that… She won’t even give me a reason. Just tells me to let it go and forget about ‘my little play thing’.” I rolled my eyes. “Ma I don’t know what else to do.”

Mom sighed and reached out over the end table that separated our seats, taking my hand into her own without ever jostling the sleeping child in her lap. 

Then she said the words that I should have seen coming a mile away. “It’s time to go over Hera’s head.” 

Mom had been saying this since the first time Hera proved to be unhelpful, but Dad and I weren’t interested. But seven days later, the prospect didn’t seem so awful. 

Going to Zeus meant a lot of things. It meant a more detailed lie, it meant actually having to ask Zeus for a favor and it also meant some groveling more than likely. None of these things were what I was in the mood for, but if anyone in this damn city could bring Psyche back into the city, Artemis be damned, it was the King of Gods himself. 

* * *

Thetis batted her eyes at me as she returned to her desk, leaving the door behind her open. 

“He will see you now.” She announced, still in the process of adjusting her pencil skirt. I smiled and stood up from the waiting room chair.

“Thank you Thetis… Might wanna button your sweater.” I added with a wink before walking into Zeus’s office. 

My grandfather sat behind his desk, feet propped up on the edge as he watched me enter. He looked bemused, but not unhappy per se. That was a good sign.

“Eros, to what do I owe this honor?” He asked as I sat down in one of the white leather chairs on the opposite side of his desk. It was rare for my grandfather and I to see one another in person, although we were known to share the occasional phone call with family gossip.

I cleared my throat. “I need a favor. As a grandchild.”

Zeus quirked an eyebrow but remained silent. 

“Psyche… She’s back in the mortal realm--”

“Where she belongs.” He muttered, the smell of hot ozone filling the air.

I gulped. “About that… Her family, they aren’t good people… I mean, think of what you do to enemies, now make it worse and make it your own child and that is what she is living with.” Zeus listened carefully as I spoke, never once looking away or appearing disinterested, but he never really reacted either. Zeus was many things; an adulterer, a spoiled brat, arrogant, and hot tempered, but if anything repulsed the King of the Gods it was the idea of a daughter being harmed at the hands of a parent.

“I need you to allow me to bring her back to Olympus.” I said the words quickly, hoping he would not give them a whole lot of thought and just agree. 

“Mortals are not allowed in Olympus.” His response was so automatic it was nearly robotic.

My already broken heart sank a little lower. “Can you make an exception?” 

Zeus sighed and pursed his lips. “Ask Hera for permission to marry?”

Shit.

“Yea… She said no.”

Zeus’s eyes widened. “Hera denied your marriage request?” I nodded silently. He let out a low whistle. “Damn… Well there goes that idea…” 

I bit my bottom lip as my eyes began to fill with tears. This was the last resource I had and it was slipping through my fingers. 

Zeus saw the pain in my eyes and sighed, taking his feet off his desk to face me head on. “Look, I’m not unreasonable…” Well that was up for debate… “You’re my grandson and I can see that this mortal means something to you, so how about this; I can’t reverse your ban from the mortal realm, and I can’t override Hera for a marriage license… But, if you can get another god to bring her to the city…” He sighed, seeming to already regret the words before he said them, “I’ll look the other way until you can convince Hera to let you two get married.”

Leaping up from my seat I threw myself across Zeus’s desk to hug him tighter than I ever had before.

“Oh my Gods, Zeus! Thank you so much!” I began to cry tears of joy and relief. “I owe you--I owe you so much!”

He grunted as I let go and he straightened his white suit jacket. “You do, and don’t think I’ll be forgetting it.” Zeus sighed as my wings fluttered at my back. “Now get out of my office before I change my mind.” 

In the grand scheme of things, convincing Zeus to look the other way was the easiest part of this entire situation. The real difficulty came in finding someone to go get Psyche for me. I had specifically left out Artemis’s involvement when speaking to Zeus for a reason, knowing there was a chance I would need her help in the long run. 

As I walked through Zeus’s office towards the exit I ran through the list of possible aids; Apollo was never going within a mile of Psyche unless I was at her side, Hermes had a weird policy on transporting mortals and Hephaestus wasn’t due to be back in the city for another three months, leaving Artemis as the best option.

At first I rolled my eyes and inwardly groaned; she was the last person I wanted involved. Then it hit me. 

This might all end up being for the best. 

The Protector of Young Women had poor judgment when it came to the character of others and it was high time she learned a lesson of humility. My plan came together quickly and I knew what I had to do.

Knocking on the front door, the Goddess of the Hunt answered in a huff, immediately scowling at me.

“What do you want, Eros?” She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. 

“I need you to take a letter to Psyche for me.” I said calmly, holding out a folded piece of paper. “It’s just informing her that our relationship has come to an end, that I am walking away and that you were right. She does belong with her parents.” The words were poison on my tongue but I powered through. 

Artemis lit up as she accepted the letter. “Really? You admit I was right?” She was practically giddy. I felt guilty for giving her so much joy only to rip it away in the long run. 

But only for a moment. 

I forced my best smile. “Of course! You are the Protector of Young Women after all. You have the best judgement of these situations. I should have just agreed with you from the beginning instead of fighting you.” 

Artemis beamed. “Thank you Eros, I’m glad we can put this behind us. I’m going to the mortal realm tonight, I’ll stop by and check on her then and take her the letter.”

After bidding the goddess farewell I went straight home, wanting to bring Mom and Dad up to speed.

The letter was simple; it informed Psyche she was welcome back into the city and that now we only needed to convince Artemis that she belonged here. It would be easy enough now that Artemis thought I was on her side, she would be more apt to listen to me again and be much more suggestible. 

As I headed home I breathed a sigh of relief, confident that within another week I would have Psyche back by my side where she belonged. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 is already up, I adore all of you <3
> 
> As always, PhantomDingo is bae.


	9. Failed Twice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Artemis fails again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let’s talk…. About Apollo.   
> Now, if there was ever a fan who despises that purple god and everything he has done, it is myself. He is disgusting. But, he is also a wonderfully written antagonist and a god in his own right. Most importantly, he is the god of something this story requires. So here I am, without an option but to include him in my story *gag*. 
> 
> He will not become a main character. His crimes against Persephone will not be discussed outside of an abstract reference. He is not a hero in this story. So if you do like Apollo, then you may enjoy this small part of the story. if you don’t like him, well then I’m right there with you and we can be grumpy together.

\---Eros POV---

Loud shouts and banging from downstairs woke me up. I shot upright in bed and sprinted into the hall, finding my little brothers and sisters sleepily wandering into the hall. I ushered them back into their rooms, unsure of what exactly was going on, before heading downstairs.

I found utter chaos. 

Dad, still dressed in his pajama pants, was screaming at Artemis who stood in the middle of the living room in her mortal realm garb. Meanwhile,on the other side of the room, mom fussed over something on the sofa that was concealed by a heavy wool blanket. 

“This is all your damn fault!” Dad bellowed, his eyes glowing red as his skin hummed with energy.

“No it isn't! I didn’t do anything!” Artemis screamed back, looking far more scared than angry. 

“Exactly! You did nothing!” 

It was then I noticed Artemis’s full appearance. She wasn’t just dressed for the mortal realm… she was covered in blood. As the sight registered, the scent hit my senses and I felt my stomach churn. 

That scent. I’d recognize it anywhere. 

Everything seemed to slow down.

The blood stains on the carpet sharpened into focus as well as the smear of blood on my Dad’s hands and forearms. Artemis looked like she had been attacked, only she was not the one who had been injured in the end. 

Walking past Dad and Artemis I approached Mom as she continued to tend to whatever, whoever was laid out on the sofa. As I walked, the room felt much larger than usual, or maybe I was moving slower. Either way, the journey from the bottom of the stairs to the sofa seemed to take a lifetime as my heart hammered in my chest. 

Standing behind my mother, I looked down and just stared. What I was looking at didn’t make any sense to me. 

It was Psyche. Or, at the very least, the body belonged to Psyche. 

Her face was pale and sunken in, her hair hanging in dirty tresses that fanned out around her as she laid her head on one of Mom’s throw pillows. Her eyes were shut, and one had a blossoming purple bruise that fanned down onto her cheekbone. 

My eyes scanned down the rest of her body; how had she changed so much in just seven days? Her once soft and curvy figure was sunken into bones and sinewy muscles. She still wore the peplos she had when she left but now it was dirty, bloody, and torn in various places. Her arms and legs were peppered in bruises and dirty cuts that were clearly never tended to. 

Mom ignored me and continued to do her best to clean the wounds she could see, but she wasn’t cut out for this sort of work.

“She needs a healer.” Mom griped as she found another deep bruise on Psyche’s thigh. 

“Call Chiron.” I prompted, kneeling by Psyche’s head and caressing her face, she didn’t respond to my touch and her skin felt as dry as paper.

“You need to call Apollo.” Artemis insisted from behind me, where she was still standing chest to chest with my dad.

I scoffed. “He will never touch her.” I growled. There were other gods with healing abilities in the Pantheon. 

Mom lifted a torn piece of Psyche’s peplos that had previously been lying across her back. It was soaked with fresh blood. We glanced at one another for a second of silent communication before we gently rolled Psyche over onto her stomach. 

I nearly threw up.

Her back had received more lashings than I had ever seen before. Some wounds were surface level welts, while others cut deep, leaving her bleeding. 

Mom sighed. “Call Apollo.” 

\---

The purple Sun God arrived in record time. When Mom answered the door and began to explain the situation, he listened with rapt attention, his eyes flashing around the room to take stock of the situation. 

“A mortal?” He verified as he walked towards Psyche, seemingly unaffected by the sight of her. 

“Yes. She is nineteen.” I ratted off, still stroking her hair. 

Apollo knelt beside her and checked her pulse. “Well, she’s still alive, kind of.” He rolled her over to take stock of her back and grimaced. “Yea…” He stood up as if to leave. “Call Thanatos, she is about to become his problem.”

When Apollo turned around, he found himself nose to nose with my dad.

“Fix. Her.” He growled, his eyes glowing red.

Apollo rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. “She is a half-dead mortal with severely infected fleshwounds. If she dies, there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.”

“Then don’t let her die.” Dad snapped, his gaze never wavering.

Apollo opened his mouth to say something but Artemis came into his peripheral vision and put a hand on his shoulder. “Brother please… This is my fault. I fucked up. You have to try to help her.” 

For what felt like an eternity Apollo and Artemis stared at one another in silence while the rest of us waited for Apollo to make a decision. Eventually, he sighed.

“Fine. She needs to be moved, I can’t work in a living room.” He explained. Dad stepped forward and pushed me out of the way. Dad took his time, handling Psyche with as much care as he used when holding one of Mom’s babies for the first time. 

I moved to follow but Mom held me back.

As Dad, Apollo and Psyche disappeared down the hall, I listened in. 

“You don’t neep to babysit.” Apollo muttered. 

“No way in hell am I leaving you alone with her. If you put one non-medically necessary hand on this girl I’ll snap you in half and toss you in Tartarus.”

Apollo scoffed. “Oh yea? What makes you think you’ll get away with that?”

I could hear my Father’s sneer. “Better question is: who would stop me? Hades? Ha! He would help.” Then the guest bedroom door closed. 

The silence was deafening.

“I should be in there.” I breathed as I collapsed into an armchair.

“You would only get in the way. Apollo might be a piece of shit but he is the God of Medicine.” Mom reasoned as she began to clean the blood off her couch.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Mom was right. I wouldn’t have even allowed Apollo near Psyche, much less allowed him to touch her, and right now she needed him more than me. I trusted Dad to keep her safe and Apollo professional. 

I helped Mom clean up the mess that was left behind while Artemis sat silently in an armchair and waited. Her eyes were white with shock, but no part of me cared for her well being. Until Psyche was confirmed safe, I was unconcerned with anyone else.

Artemis well outstayed her welcome, continuously offering to help. I tried my best to ignore her, but after her fifth attempt to share some small talk, I snapped.

“Haven’t you done enough for one century?” I growled. The look on her face was that of someone who had been slapped. “You have failed at your job twice now. You were literally born to do this one thing and you continually fuck up! And why? Because you are so arrogant, so self-absorbed, that you refuse to listen to anyone else around you!” 

She had nothing to say in response. Instead she decided to help us clean up the living room in silence before waiting for her brother to finish up. 

\---

At some point I had curled up on the couch, my head in Mom’s lap, managing to fall into a fitful sleep only to be awoken by Mom gently shaking my shoulder.

Slowly blinking, I glanced around, not fully aware of myself until I caught sight of Dad closing the door behind Apollo. 

In that instant I was fully awake and leaping to my feet. Mom grabbed my hand before I had a chance to sprint down the hall.

“Calm down.” Mom implored. “He did the best he could. She is resting now. Since she is Mortal he couldn’t force her body to fully heal all at once without killing her.” Mom explained as calmly as she could. “Apollo left a salve for her wounds, as well as an oral medication, and will return in a few days to check her bandages.”

As soon as Mom released my hand I brushed past Artemis and went straight to the guest room.

The lights were dimmed, and Psyche was resting on her stomach. I winced, realizing she had to have been undressed in order to have her back bandaged the way it was. A blanket was arranged in a way that covered her legs and hips, but left the majority of the bandages on her back exposed. Slowly I crept into the room, not wanting to wake her up. 

Reaching her bedside, I knelt down and breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever Apollo had done was already beginning to work; although her cheeks were still sunken in, a little color had returned. I caressed the side of her face, nearly choking up at the warmth of her skin. 

“Artemis came in and got her undressed.” I jumped slightly at the sound of my dad’s voice in the doorway. “That was the only time I left her alone… He took good care of her.” He promised, clearly having taken his job as watchman very seriously.

I smiled up at my dad before returning my gaze to Psyche’s face. “Thanks Dad… I should have been the one to do that.”

Dad sighed and wandered into the room with his hands in his pockets, walking around to the opposite side of Psyche’s bed. “Naw… It was pretty gruesome work. It didn’t bother me much, used to the blood.” Dad shrugged. “But it wouldn’t have been good for you to see her like that.” 

After further inspection, I was pleasantly surprised with Apollo’s work. He had meticulously cleaned each and every wound on Psyche’s body before applying topical medicine he made specifically for her. He then dressed each wound securely to prevent anything from disturbing the healing process. Apollo left instructions on changing her bandages, when she needed her medications, as well as a list of recommended foods and beverages she could consume until he saw her next. 

I may hate the man with every fiber of my being, but even I had to admit he did a good job.

Every six hours Psyche took an oral medication. It was the most difficult, considering she was still suspended in a sleep like state. Mom asked Apollo why she was like this and his short answer was that her mind was struggling to cope with her trauma and she would wake up when she was ready. 

Every twenty four hours her bandages were removed, the topical reapplied, and then re-dressed. 

That was the worst part for me. 

Seeing her when she was wrapped up and sleeping soundly was easy; she appeared peaceful and content in those moments. But when her wounds were exposed, and I was forced to face the severity of her situation. 

I became thankful for my Mom’s presence and assistance. 

Taking care of Psyche became my full time job. During the day I would check bandages, regularly check her vitals, administer medications and ensure her lips remained moisturized. During the night I could curl up in bed beside her, close enough to listen to the steady cadence of her breathing. 

It was at these times, cloaked in darkness and silence, that I was forced to acknowledge the reality of Psyche and I’s differences. A mortal and a god weren’t the strangest couple to exist; gods and mortals came together often and had affairs and even children. But for two to fall in love and pursue a long term relationship was a different issue entirely.

The fact that Psyche remained asleep drove me mad. Every time she would take a deep breath, or even twitch in her sleep, I would leap to my feet in hopes to catch her opening her eyes. For three long days this routine continued on. I began to lose track of the time after that; everything revolved around when Psyche needed something instead of the hour on the clock. 

Visitors came and went silently. Artemis would bring food and supplies on a daily basis, Persephone and Hades sent bouquets of fresh flowers and my siblings took turns drawing pictures and making get well soon cards for Psyche. It was heartwarming to see others care for her, and made the long hours of waiting that much easier.

At least once a day either Mom or Dad would come in and kick me out of her room. During this time I was forced to go and shower and eat. I hated the time I spent away from Psyche’s side, but also knew I wouldn’t do anyone any good if I smelled worse than the pig. 

When I finally checked my phone it was dark and rainy, and I groaned as I realized four days had passed. 

I sat in the chair by Psyche’s bed, holding her hand and resting my head on the bed. Exhaustion was winning and I felt my eyelids grow heavier by the moment. It was mid-afternoon, all of her dressings were changed and her medicines had been administered. 

A nap couldn’t hurt.

Releasing a deep sigh I gave into sleep’s alluring pull. Although I did my best to sleep during the night, staying awake to stare at Psyche had been a much more enticing pastime. After so many days without more than an hour or two of sleep at a time, I felt no shame in giving in to Hypnos’s power. 

My mind went blank as my body finally relaxed only to be startled back to life by a gentle, mumbling sound.

“Eros?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, kudos and your existence brings me joy <3
> 
> HAPPY NEW YEAR!


	10. Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Psyche wakes up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me 2 weeks to write this and I'm still not *thrilled* with it.... BUT I am excited for the coming chapters and hope you all continue to enjoy the story <3 Thank you for your patients!

\----Psyche’s POV----

  
  


My eyes burned as I blinked at the bright light of the room. I wasn’t blind, but all I could see was light. Despite my efforts, my limbs all felt too heavy to move. I wanted to sit upright, look around, finally learn where I was. But no matter what I did I could not move, or feel. 

My concept of time was non-existent, which only added to my discomfort with the situation. How long had I been unconscious? 

“Eros?” My voice felt foreign, my throat dry and raw from lack of use. 

I wasn’t even sure if Eros could hear me when I spoke.

As I hung suspended between consciousness and sleep, my senses slowly but surely stabilized. 

The first thing that returned was touch. Eros was caressing my face and holding me close, occasionally leaving kisses along my forehead. I could feel the warmth of his body against mine. His rose-petal lips caressing my face. The soft down of the pillow under my head. The cotton sheets against my skin.

The world was still so distant, a layer of fog preventing me from fully grasping my surroundings. But the knowledge that Eros was with me was calming. No matter where I was, I knew that so long as I was with him, I was safe.

Just when touch seemed familiar again, I could slowly begin to hear, and the first thing I heard was Eros’s voice. He spoke so sweetly, so softly, that I felt as if I might cry. After so long without feeling him, hearing him, it was the most wonderful thing in the world. 

“It’s okay sweetheart, I’m here.” His voice came in clear as day. “I’m right here, just breathe.” He wrapped his arms around me, bringing warmth and peace with his embrace. His scent began to fill my senses; sugar and spice, spreading happy tingles throughout my body. 

As the fog cloaking my vision began to dissipate, I found myself looking directly into Eros’s eyes as he laid down beside me. His face was stained with tears, new and old, while his messy hair was pushed back in a headband. Nothing about him looked healthy or well kept, but he was here, we were together and I could breathe again.

“Don’t cry, honey. It’s okay, you’re home now, you’re safe.” he assured me, brushing tears I did not remember shedding from my cheeks. I did not want to cry, I wanted to smile, throw my arms around Eros and kiss him breathless - but all I could do was cry. 

Eros held me as I cried, still unable to form more than a single word at a time in order to tell him how relieved I was to be with him, how I had been afraid we would never be together again. I was an inconsolable mess, weeping into his chest as he stroked my back and kissed the top of my head, whispering to me that all was well.

I had no idea of how long we sat there; it could have been minutes or hours or even days. But I did not care. We were back together and that was all that mattered.

“I thought I would never see you again.” I whispered, still choking back tears. 

Eros’s hold tightened slightly. “I wouldn’t have let that happen.” He kissed the top of my head. “I was finding a way to bring you back… It was coming together. I had a plan.”

Finally able to move slowly, with great effort, I leaned back slightly to look Eros in the eyes. “Did I mess up your plan?”

“No! Not at all… Actually, my plan sort of went the exact way I had hoped it would. A bit faster than I expected but I’ll be the last to complain about that.” Eros gave me a wink, effortlessly lightening the mood. 

Relaxing back against his chest, I breathed in his scent, allowing it to fill my senses. “What was your plan?”

Eros sighed, his nose buried in my hair. “Have Artemis see you with your family without your parents knowing it… Have her see how they really were. Realize how much she fucked up and bring you back out of guilt.” 

It was not the worst plan, all things considered.

“Needless to say I never imagined in a million years she would find you like she did.” Eros admitted, his tone taking on a darker edge. 

Although I have no idea of how Artemis found me, only the vague memory of her voice mixed in with my other muddied comatose thoughts, I could only imagine how she reacted. 

Part of me, a big part of me, wanted her to feel guilty. To feel personally responsible for my situation since I would have never been back with my family if it had not been for her. I was safe here with Eros, I was hidden and minding my own business and was content to remain that way for the rest of my existence. But no. No, Artemis had to answer the prayers of my mother and return me to my abusers. 

For that, I wanted her to feel as awful as I did.

Yet, another part of me simply wished she learned some valuable lessons from the entire ordeal. 

The first lesson I hoped Artemis learned was that not all abusers are men. The second is that while blood may be thicker than water, it means very little when it is family that makes you bleed.

“I do not remember how I got here…” I admitted, recognizing the downstairs spare bedroom of Aphrodite’s house. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Eros told me the story as he knew it; Artemis went to my home at his request only to find me unconscious on my bedroom floor, cold as death, beaten within an inch of my life and quickly fading from my mortal coil. She rushed me back to Olympus thinking that if there was hope for me, it was among the Gods. That was when Apollo was called in. He did all he could, cleaning my wounds, dressing them and prescribing a course of treatment. Then all there was left to do for those around me was wait. 

“You’ve been out for about four days.” Eros sighed. “Apollo will be back in the morning to check how you’re healing. Things look better as far as I can tell, humans just heal so slowly compared to Gods.” He shrugged. “It’ll take a professional eye to tell if you’re actually getting better yet.” 

I cringed at the idea of Apollo touching me, a reaction that did not go unnoticed.

“Dad was always there, he never left your side.” Eros admitted with a hint of guilt in his eyes. “I think he liked having someone defenseless to protect… I wasn’t allowed in the room because apparently death threats ‘impeded his work’.” Eros mocked Apollo with air quotes and a roll of his eyes. 

“Unconscious mortal girl is about as defenseless as it gets.” I giggled. 

It wasn’t much longer before Aphrodite arrived with a tray of food; broth and a few pieces of bread. She insisted that I eat something while avoiding making a direct comment on my physical appearance. Whether this was a conscious effort or not, I was thankful. I knew I most likely looked like a warm corpse after so long and did not need a reminder of the fact.

* * *

My eyes stayed trained on Eros’s face as Apollo examined the wounds on my back. The God of Medicine took his time removing the bandages, inspecting the wounds, charting their appearance before redressing the area. He worked in silence, most likely inspired by a desire to survive rather than preference.

“The wounds were deep, healing will take time.” Apollo stated once he was finished, speaking to both Eros and I. “Rest, continue with the salve and oral medications and avoid any strenuous physical activity.” He gave Eros a pointed look.

Eros rolled his eyes. “The woman I love nearly died, I’m keeping it in my pants until she is better.” He snapped defensively. I glanced away from the two, pretending to be oblivious to the types of ‘strenuous activities’ Eros and I could engage in.

Apollo shrugged as he packed his supplies back into a leather satchel. “I mean, so long as  _ she _ doesn’t do the work…” He mused, then he seemed to rethink. “Well, just take it easy.” That was when Apollo looked me in the eyes. “Do what you’re comfortable with. If something gets worse, call.” 

When the bedroom door closed behind him, Eros and I were left in a semi-awkward silence. 

Sex had not been something on my mind since waking up; it had only been a few hours after all. Now I worried that it was something Eros was expecting to happen again soon. We had not had much time together between him learning of my identity and Artemis taking me back to the mortal realm, but with everything that had happened, I was far from ready. 

Without a word, Eros crossed the room and knelt on the floor by the bed, taking my hands into his. He looked me deep in the eyes, his wide, loving gaze filling me with warmth.

“You’ve been through a lot, babe. Don’t feel like sex is something you need to worry about right now. We can wait as long as you need.” He raised my hands to his lips to kiss my knuckles. “I’m here for you, if you need to talk about anything.”

I released a shaky breath, nodding in understanding. “Thank you… So much happened while I was home. It felt surreal, to have it all transpire in such a brief amount of time. I… I’m just not ready to talk about it yet.”

The physical abuse, the verbal abuse, the examination from the doctors. All of it felt so fresh. I wanted to share it with Eros, to spill my heart out to him, but speaking the words felt impossible. As if sharing my story would somehow make the bad dream more real.

Eventually I would need to share my burden and learn to cope and heal, but for the moment I wanted to enjoy being back in the safety of Eros’s arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PhantomDingo is a gem of life and the best beta in the biz


	11. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eros and Psyche share some intimate time together during her healing process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sirens* Warning: Smut ahead! *sirens* 
> 
> I apologize for the delay, but I learned the hard way that the Muses's do not accept sacrifices in exchange for writing inspiration.

\----Psyche’s POV----

The heat was overwhelming. 

He dragged his fingertips across my skin, leaving fire in their wake as he kissed and bit his way up my inner thigh. Turning my head to the side, I did my best to bury my face into the pillow before letting out the moans I had been holding back. 

Everything he did was slow, methodical, and complete torture. Every sound I made brought a smile to his lips and just encouraged him to continue. Gods, I prayed he would never stop. 

My back arched as he reached the apex of my thighs, placing kitten licks along the way. When he finally settled his lips around my clit I squealed and curled up as if that would somehow make the stimulation easier to process. Eros pressed on, continuing to suck and nibble on my clit as he slowly slid a finger inside of me. He moaned against me as he realized how wet I was, his teasing up to this moment having driven me wild. 

“Eros, please.” I begged, arching into his touch. He was being so careful and controlled, which was unlike him in this position. He usually dove into me as if he was a man dying of thirst and I was a fresh spring. While it was erotic and I was beyond turned on, part of me knew I was going to have a hard time reaching orgasm like this. 

He pulled his lips away from me but kept his fingers steadily thrusting in and out. “We have to be careful babe, doctor’s orders.” He reminded me. 

Two weeks since I had come back to Eros and we had barely gone beyond kissing. I craved him and I knew he felt the same and yet he had done everything to hold himself back. The only reason we were in this position now was because I begged for over an hour. I didn’t care what Apollo had ordered, I didn’t care that I was far from fully healed - I just wanted Eros. 

To appease me, he pressed his fingers deeper inside of me to stroke the front wall of my vagina. I arched in relief, and felt a jolt of sharp pain down my back, but I would worry about that later. 

“Just a little bit more, please,” I begged, my voice coming out in a gasping breath. 

He sensed my turmoil, there was no way he couldn’t. Neither of us were handling our semi-self imposed chastity well, but Eros was most definitely the one with more patients and restraint. He had reminded me daily that he was willing to wait a century if that is what it took for me to be healed physically and emotionally. Meanwhile, two weeks of chaste touches and light kisses and I was beyond caring for my physical or emotional wellbeing. If I died while in Eros’s arms, then I would at least die happy. 

Eros groaned as he added a third finger. “If this becomes too much-” He warned, his eyes darkening as he moved his mouth back over my aching clit. I nodded in understanding, beyond the ability of speaking. 

His mouth returned to my clit, his fingers that were seated in my vagina picked up pace and I felt the familiar pressure of his other hand caressing my second hole. I moaned as he slowly pressed his index finger against the tight sphincter, probing in short, shallow thrusts. 

I cried out as my orgasm washed over me, tears slid down my cheeks as I felt the relief of release for the first time in weeks. 

As always when Eros and I were intimate, I felt the world fall away and my vision fell black. It always took a few moments after orgasm to fully regain my composure. When I was able to see and think clearly again, Eros was casually lounging on the bed beside me, tracing patterns along my skin. 

“Welcome back, puddin’ cup.” Eros teased before leaving a feather light kiss on the end of my nose. 

I giggled before letting out a contented sigh, snuggling into my pillow. “Why do you always say ‘welcome back’?” 

Eros gave a nervous laugh. “You don’t notice? Whenever you orgasm you black out for a few seconds.” He explained as delicately as he could manage, but even with his gentle caresses and soft tone, I felt my face ignite in a bright hot blush. 

“That isn’t what everyone does?” I asked timidly, avoiding Eros’s gaze. 

I didn’t get away with looking away. Eros took hold of my chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting my chin to look directly at him. His eyes were full of warmth and love, causing my heart to beat a little faster as my cheeks warmed.

“Don’t be embarrassed. You’re a mortal having sex with a God… A love God.” There was no arrogance in his voice, simply explanation. “If you didn’t have some sort of major reaction to an orgasm I’d be really worried about my skill.” 

Feeling the anxiety fade I sighed and curled up closer into his side, resting my head on his chest so I could listen to the rhythmic thump of his heart. These small moments are what made the pain easier to handle. The wounds were healing slowly, if at all. The bruising faded a little every few days, but I looked as if I had been attacked within the last few days instead of over two weeks ago. 

My days were boring. I spent the majority of my time in bed, reading, writing and sketching. I was finally allowed to join the family for meals at the table, but any pressure against my back took my breath away. I was barred from leaving the house, although I was allowed to walk in the garden so long as Eros or Ares were with me. I understood their caution, but that didn’t change the fact that I was growing bored and restless. 

The highlight of my each day was every night, after dinner Eros would help me bathe before applying fresh salve and bandages to my back. At first the idea of being bathed reminded me of a helpless child, but I should have known better. Eros somehow made such a simple service absurdly intimate. He took his time, helping me into the bath before he carefully cleaned my back. He would sometimes hum to himself as he worked, or if he had an interesting day he would tell me about it. Throughout our entire relationship I had never felt more worshiped or cherished. 

When we entered the bath that night Eros took his usual seat behind me in the water, his legs on either side of me, he had been quiet, seemingly deep in thought. He helped me wash my body before massaging shampoo into my hair, his nails scratching my scalp in a delicious circular motion. I sighed into his touch, losing myself in the sensation. It wasn’t until Eros finally spoke that the silence and my trance were broken.

“I have a meeting in the morning.” He said, softly, as if hoping I might not hear him. 

“That’s exciting, who with?” I asked as I played with the bubbles in front of me.

“Zeus.”

The name hung in the air like a heavy cloud. The King of the Gods, Eros’s grandfather and the man who could easily walk in and throw me off of Mt. Olympus if the mood struck him. The man who punished Eros for bringing me here in the first place. 

Silence said more than words could. 

“He said he would turn a blind eye if I managed to get you back… He can’t force Hera to approve a marriage, but told me of a way I could go around her.” Eros continued on. “I need more information so I can make a plan.”

Turning in the water, I met Eros’s gaze. He looked worried and tired. I placed my hand on his chest over his heart. 

“So  _ we _ can make a plan.” I emphasized. 

His smile brightened the room. “Exactly. Dad tried to talk to Hera yesterday…” Eros added as I turned back around and he continued rinsing the suds from my hair. “It didn’t go well.”

My heart clenched in my chest at the idea of Eros’s own grandmother refusing to approve his marriage to me. “Why is she so against you marrying me?” I asked, failing to hide the hurt from my voice. Convincing Aphrodite I was worthy of Eros had been hard enough, was I destined to have to prove myself to every single person in his family? The idea was disheartening.

Eros sighed. “Based on what she said, you're not really the issue. Dad doesn’t think she is all that concerned about you to be honest. The issue is me. I’m a love God, my dating track record is non-existent since I never had a monogamous relationship before you. Hera seems to think if she allows me to marry it’ll just make a mockery of her domain.”

Her logic wasn’t without merit, but that didn’t make it right. Monogamy isn’t for everyone, and there is nothing wrong with that. But Eros had made the choice; to be with me meant saying no to others. If another partner was involved, that would be a decision we made together as a couple. To hear Hera was assuming Eros would follow in the footsteps of Zeus was saddening to hear, especially from a Goddess who was making the decisions on whether someone could be wed or not. Was every man who ever led a bachelor life destined to spend their days without a partner?

Before Eros, marriage had promised me a lifetime of service, pain, and solitude with a man I did not love or even choose. If Hera could allow that sort of marriage to happen, there had to be a way to make her see reason and allow two people who loved and chose one another to be wed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hera's feelings on polyamory vs. monogamy do not reflect my own. Love is love, regardless of the dynamics (so long as it's consensual). 
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! How are we feeling? Thoughts, theories, questions? 
> 
> As always, PhantomDingo is a Goddess in her own right. Did you know she can decipher a sentence when half of it is missing? Because she can.


	12. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a disheartening meeting with Zeus, Eros comes to terms with what has to happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanes - a Primordial God of procreation and the generation of new life.

\----Eros POV----

  
  


Thetis was far more dour this time as I walked into Zeus’s office, not bothering to do more than wave me through. Sadly Zeus wasn’t in a much better mood than his secretary. 

“Sit.” He sighed as I walked in, seemingly lost in thought as he stared at the family photos that decorated his desk. The one of him, Hades and Poseidon seemed to be what held his attention the most. But today wasn’t about Persephone and Hades, today was about Psyche and the fact that she wasn’t healing.

It wasn’t that we weren’t telling Psyche she wasn’t healing. We were in a way… We just weren’t being blunt about it. Mom was against telling her at all, lying and saying she was doing great and on the road to recovery, but I couldn’t do that. Psyche wasn’t dumb, she knew she wasn’t doing as well as she could be. Two weeks with little improvement wasn’t normal, even for a mortal. 

Sitting across from Zeus’s desk, I waited for him to finish up whatever he was thinking about. It was a few minutes of silence before he sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to face me. 

“How can I help you?” He asked, his tone exasperated and bored. It was when he faced me head on that I was able to take in his full appearance; his eyes looked a little wild, as if he wasn’t sleeping enough and his clothes were clean but disheveled, as if he got dressed in a hurry or even in the dark. 

There was no point in beating around the bush. “Psyche’s injuries aren’t healing.” I blurted out. “We’re doing everything to care for her but she isn’t getting better, even by mortal standards. She has been back for two weeks and besides being far cleaner and better fed, she looks the same as the night Artemis brought her back.”

Zeus let out a sigh, leaning back in his office chair and staring up at the ceiling. “Did it ever occur to you that the ban on mortals in Olympus isn’t just for fun?” He snapped, I recoiled slightly. “Did you  _ ever _ consider that I banned mortals from Olympus to  _ protect _ them?” He was exasperated, and extremely annoyed, the smell of ozone heavy in the air.

“With all due respect… you don’t usually do things for a sound reason...” I muttered under my breath, looking at my hands in my lap.

“Sometimes I do! In this situation I did! Olympus is for the Gods, for the immortals. Mortals can live up here, sure, but they can’t thrive.” He stood up and began to pace. “If you want Psyche to get better, she either needs to become a Goddess or go back to the Mortal Realm.” 

The idea of sending Psyche back to the Mortal Realm made my stomach drop. She wasn’t ready for that yet, she was still having consistent nightmares of her parents. Even if I went with her it would be far too traumatic.

“She would rather die than go back to the Mortal Realm.” I admitted with a sigh, my head dropping into my hands. 

“Then it looks like you only have one choice. Petition for immortality.” Zeus muttered absently, still pacing. His thoughts had shifted back to his own problems again, most likely brooding over the Persephone situation. 

Like it or not, my audience was over. With my head hung low I left Zeus’s office to return home. 

Petitioning for a mortal to be granted immortality was simple enough, but rarely worked. It required a unanimous vote from the Olympian Council, at which point Hebe would brew the Ambrosia and Phanes would serve it to the mortal. The nectar could not be brewed by anyone other than Hebe, or served by anyone other than Phanes or else the mortal would be poisoned and die. Whoever came up with the ritual wanted to make sure that there was a way to turn mortals immortal, but didn’t want just anyone doing it. 

The Olympian Council would be a headache. The Council was composed of the Olympians, Hades and in larger cases Amphitrite’s opinion was taken into consideration as well. I had strong assumptions of how most of them would vote, but no guarantees. I needed to know who was on which side in order to build our case in hopes of changing the minds of those who would not be voting yay. 

As much as I dreaded the prospect, I needed to talk to each of the Olympians. If I spoke to each of them on their own, there was a chance I could plead Psyche’s case in a way that appealed to each of them in their own ways. If I had them on board before we ever entered the judgment chamber, we stood a fighting chance. 

When I arrived home I found Psyche up and about. She was in the kitchen with the kids, helping them to bake cookies. Mom sat at the table with Mania in her arms, enjoying the show. Taking a moment to spy on them, I felt my heart lighten a little. I wanted Psyche to feel this happy and at ease all the time and couldn’t help but feel at least partially responsible for her not being. I saved her from a bad marriage to a bad man, but for my own selfish desires. Love, no matter how pure and well-meaning, will always be a bit selfish.

“Lurking’s for perverts.” Dad’s sudden voice made me jump away from the doorway. I glared, finding him lounging across the couch, watching a chariot race on TV. With one arm thrown across the back of the couch, the other with a beer in hand, he looked about as fatherly as he had in his entire life. 

Letting out a deep sigh I dragged myself across the room to flop down in the recliner. For a few minutes Dad and I sat in silence, him being too entranced in his chariot race to pay me any mind. Even as a little kid, when Dad was in and out a lot more sporadically, I always knew I could go to him with any problem and he would do his best to help find a solution. He had a reputation among the Gods that he seemed to create on purpose to keep expectations low, but despite his outward persona he has always been a good Dad. Even if he has made out with Persephone. 

“You’re thinking too loud.” Dad critiqued, never looking away from the TV as he took a sip of his beer. “Wanna tell me what Goose Man had to say?”

“He says I can either send Psyche back to the Mortal Realm, or she can petition for immortality.” I explained my two shitty options. “She’ll never go back, I’m still banned from the Mortal Realm. We’d never see one another again.”

Dad pursed his lips. “Sounds like you know what you have to do then.”

I glared at my Dad. “You do remember what has to happen for a mortal to be granted immortality? The Olympian Council hasn’t agreed on something since the Titans were locked in Tartarus.” It was true. We gathered monthly for meetings, only to accomplish nothing and waste hours arguing with one another. It was ridiculous that we were in charge of deciding anything, much less the fates of people.

That was when Dad lifted the remote, muting the TV before turning in his seat to face me. “They aren’t all that bad.” I silently cocked an eyebrow. “Okay… yea they are. But there is a way! Ya just gotta appeal to each of them as individuals.” 

“Be careful with those big words, Dad.” I teased, rolling my eyes. “If it’s so easy, then how would you appeal to… let’s say, Hestia?”

Dad scoffed. “She’s the easiest! You and Psyche wish to build a home and family together. She eats that shit up and wouldn’t imagine breaking up a happy family.”

“Fair… Alright, Hermes?” 

“Buy the kid a yoyo and call it a day.” Dad rolled his eyes. “You’re worrying about the wrong people, son.” Dad stood up and walked from the room without any explanation. I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face, beginning to spiral when he returned with a notepad and pen. “So the way I see it…” he wrote a few things on the paper before flipping it around. “You’ve got three groups of people.” 

“You’re drawing me a literal picture for this?” I deadpanned, “I’m not an idiot.”

Dad rolled his eyes. “Shut up and let me do the thing.” He turned the paper back around and wrote a few more things before turning it back for my inspection. Under the ‘pro’ column were four names, “Right from the jump you’ve got your mom, me, and Artemis on your side, and if Hestia doesn’t side with a possibly happy married couple, I’ll jump off the mount.” 

“Great. Four whole votes. There are fourteen possible votes. That is far from a majority.” 

“Well, the ones who are going to be against are obvious; Zeus, Hera, Demeter.” We rolled our eyes in unison at the prejudiced trio. 

“The others?” I asked after a moment, the wildcards making me more nervous than the ones who I knew were against us from the beginning.

Dad sighed and tossed his notepad down onto the coffee table between us. “Yea… the rest could go either way.”

\----

“So how did the meeting with Zeus go?” Psyche asked as we crawled into bed. All evening I was distracted by thoughts of what I would say to Psyche; how would I explain how fucked up the situation we were in was? Should I tell her that Olympus was essentially killing her? And if I did tell her, what decision would she make? Would she do the unimaginable and leave me despite everything? I wouldn’t blame her, or stop her, but it would also destroy me. 

“Went as well as any meeting with Zeus goes.” I admitted, forcing a smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes. Psyche saw straight through me, opting to curl up into my side in bed before pressing for more information. Feeling her little warm body wrapped around me helped to ease my anxiety, but only minutely. 

“Tell me what he said, Eros.” She looked up at me with those big chocolate eyes. “No more secrets.” My heart clenched. Despite my best efforts to shield her from the severity of her situation, she knew. Lying to Psyche was like trying to drink the ocean; a really stupid idea.

I sighed. “Apparently his ban on mortals in Olympus was for an actual reason…” I explained what Zeus had told me, laying out both of her options. Psyche listened in silence, holding me tight as she processed the words that came out of my mouth. She didn’t flinch once when I mentioned that she was free to return to the Mortal Realm and heal and go about her life. 

Once I finished the account of my meeting, hinting at what Dad and I had discussed, Psyche and I sat in silence. It was no surprise that she needed a moment to process everything I had just laid out, but I was dying to know what she was thinking.

“Leaving you isn’t an option.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and if I hadn’t been paying attention I would have missed it completely. 

“Yea… thought you’d say that.” I muttered. 

Psyche sat up and kneeled beside me on the bed. “We can go to them. All of them. Together.” her fearlessness was admirable but foolhardy. 

“Some of them we can go to together… but you have to remember who you are, what you are…” I sighed. “Not all the Gods will take kindly to a mortal just walking up to their house and saying ‘hello’.” Psyche’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Babe… the prejudice between Gods and mortals is ancient and unwavering… There are some we can go to together, but some it’ll be best if I go alone.” I held her face in my hands. Bringing her lips to mine I savored her pillowy lips and sugar sweet taste for a moment before breaking apart and settling back into bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Phantom Dingo is a literal saint for deciphering my babbling <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated <3


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